Officially Married
by CoffeeDrinker
Summary: Complete. A look at Luke and Lorelai's first year of marriage, picking up immediately after their wedding in the revival... L & L work on their communication issues, Lorelai prepares to open the spa, and Rory gets ready to become a mother.
1. Chapter 1

**Officially Married - Chapter 1  
**

. . . . .

. . . . .

Lorelai walked slowly down the steps of the gazebo in an overwhelming daze of post-nuptial bliss. She glanced up at the sky as flower petals began to sprinkle down around her. From where, she wasn't sure, but she didn't give it a second thought… she felt like she was in some sort of magical dream and she just wanted to enjoy every second of it.

Soon, Luke was handing her a glass of champagne and they were all toasting the occasion. Miss Patty walked over from the studio to join them, and they all began walking around the town square admiring the decorations.

Lorelai and Luke strolled hand in hand, lingering back slightly from the group for some privacy. "Everything is so perfect," she gushed. "It's like a dream, I can't even believe it." She suddenly gasped and sadly shook her head. "Oh, shoot, it _is_ a dream, isn't it? That's the only explanation." She immediately pinched his arm.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed, pushing her hand away. "It's not a dream."

"Who thought up that pinching thing anyway?" Lorelai pondered aloud. "I mean, did someone do a study and prove consequently that no one can feel a pinch in a dream? What if we've all just built up some sort of dream-pinch tolerance?"

"It's just a figure of speech, it doesn't mean anything." Luke ran his hands down her arms, calmly repeating, "It's not a dream." He held up his hand to show her his wedding ring, and he smiled. "See this? This is real."

Lorelai shook her head in disbelief and exhaled a content sigh. She leaned in to kiss him before smiling against his lips. "We're married now."

Luke's smile widened and he nodded. "We are." He kissed her again, and as he pulled back, he noticed someone in the distance walking toward them. "Hey, look." He nodded behind her, and she turned around to see what he was looking at.

Lorelai gasped when she saw Kirk, and she started rushing toward him. "Kirk!" When she reached him, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you!"

Luke walked up behind her and patted Kirk on the side of his arm. "You did good."

Kirk smiled proudly. "Nothing was ruined?"

"Not a thing," Lorelai assured him. "It's perfect." She grabbed his sleeve and started pulling him across the square. "Come have some champagne."

They poured him a glass, and everyone mingled for a bit before Miss Patty's ballet dancers started to perform another routine. As they all stood in front of the stage watching them perform, a realization suddenly came to Lorelai.

She leaned in close to Luke. "The house is empty right now except for a pig and a dog," she whispered into his ear. "We should probably take advantage of that."

Luke smiled and nodded in agreement.

Lorelai walked up behind Rory and rubbed her arm, and Rory turned around. "Hey, Luke and I have to run home for something… we'll be right back. Don't let anyone leave."

Rory glanced at her confusedly. "Everything okay?"

Lorelai gestured in the general direction of their house, stammering, "Yup. We just have to, uh, you know, get that thing, so we can… and then with the other thing, so… uh… we'll be right back, okay?"

Rory rolled her eyes slightly and waved her off. "Okay, just go, I don't need details."

Lorelai grinned. "Thank you."

Lorelai walked back over to Luke, grabbed his hand, and they rushed toward his truck. Lorelai sat right next to him and hugged his arm as they drove back to the house. He parked in the driveway, turned off the engine, and she followed him out the driver's side door.

They walked into the house and tiptoed past the pair of sleeping animals as they headed upstairs. Luke took off his jacket along the way and draped it over the banister at the top of the steps.

Lorelai flicked on the bedroom light, and once the door was closed, she leaned back against it and pulled him close to her. Luke cradled her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers for a passionate kiss.

He pulled back from her and brushed his thumbs gently against her cheeks. "I love you more than anything," he said softly. "You know that, right?"

Lorelai smiled. "Of course I know that," she assured him with a nod. "I love you, too." She took his hand and pulled him over to the bed.

They removed their shoes and started undressing each other, piling their clothes neatly on the bench at the foot of the bed. She pulled his shirt up over his head, then ran her fingers over his tasseled hair to smooth it down. He took off her sweater, then unzipped her dress and helped her out of it. She unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants, and he pushed them down his legs and stepped out of them.

Luke turned Lorelai around and unclasped her lacy white bra, slid the straps down her arms and dropped it on the bench. He ran his hands over her bare back, his fingers tangling in her hair.

His hands moved around to the front of her and cupped her breasts. He squeezed them gently and stroked her nipples with the pads of his thumbs, making her moan with pleasure. As he began kissing the side of her neck, she closed her eyes and fell into a daze, savoring the feel of his hands and lips on her body until he softly rasped into her ear, "God, you're beautiful."

As her eyes fluttered open, she turned around and kissed him deeply. As her tongue lightly caressed his, she cradled the back of his head with one hand as the other moved down to his waist. She slipped her hand down the front of his boxers and stroked her fingers along the shaft of his cock.

He groaned against her mouth and she smiled as she pulled her lips from his. She stared into his eyes as she wrapped her hand around him and began stroking him. Luke groaned again and moved his own hand down to the front of her lacy white panties. He began stroking her through the thin fabric, and she moaned as shivers of arousal rushed through her body.

"Mmm," Lorelai hummed approvingly. She glanced down at their hands stroking each other, then brought her gaze back to his eyes. "Bed?"

Luke nodded. "Mmhmm."

Luke lay on the bed on his back and Lorelai crawled up over his body until she was lying on top of him. As her lips met his, his hands moved gently up and down her back, his fingers threading through the soft waves of her hair.

They stayed in that position for a few minutes, kissing tenderly and letting their hands roam each other's bodies. Eventually, Lorelai pushed herself up so she was on her knees straddling his waist, her lacy panties pressed up against his cotton boxers.

As his hands smoothed up the front of her body to her breasts, Lorelai gently rocked her pelvis against his hardness nestled between her thighs. Luke groaned in response, and Lorelai smiled down at him sexily. "Oh, my husband likes that, does he?" she teased, rocking against him again.

"You could say that," he murmured.

"Well, then, I think you're really gonna love my next move," Lorelai told him.

Luke watched as she reached a hand down into the front opening of his boxers and pulled his hardness through it. She pushed the fabric of her panties aside and let her sex rest against the length of his shaft. They both groaned loudly and contently at the skin-on-skin contact.

"Jesus, Lorelai," Luke muttered, and she hummed in agreement at how good it felt.

He could feel her wetness as she started rocking against him. She whimpered at the sensations that rushed through her body as his hardness rubbed against her folds and clit. He caressed her thighs, his eyes fixated on the point of contact as her body rocked steadily against his.

As she started to move faster and her moans grew louder, Luke pulled her down into a kiss, then rolled their bodies over so that she was beneath him. He pressed his lips to hers before murmuring, "You are so sexy."

Lorelai wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeper. As she pulled back, her eyes were glazed over with desire as she breathlessly panted, "I need you inside me."

Luke kissed her before he sat back on his knees to take off his boxers and her panties. As he got back into position over her body, he pressed a trail of soft kisses up her stomach to her chest and up to her mouth.

When their lips separated, Luke began easing his length into her, and Lorelai's eyes fell closed. "Oh, Luke," she breathed his name into the quiet room, and it sent a tingle down his spine.

He pushed all the way into her, then held still for a bit to let her body adjust to him. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Everything good?" he asked softly.

"Mmhmm," she murmured before she opened her eyes. Her body was throbbing with arousal from head to toe, and she wanted to savor that feeling for a moment. When her eyes finally opened and she saw her husband lovingly staring at her, she smiled and nodded. "Everything's perfect."

Luke began rocking against her, his thrusts starting off slowly as he pressed gentle kisses to her lips and neck. She was moaning beneath him, her gaze locked on his face as she caressed his back and arms. "God, you feel so good," she breathlessly muttered.

"You're amazing," he whispered into her ear. He started to pick up his pace and move faster against her, and she was rocking back against him to meet his thrusts.

He reached his hand down and began moving his thumb in gentle circles against her clit. Her whimpers grew louder and longer until her body began quivering beneath him. Her eyes clenched shut and she moaned loudly as she came.

As she calmed down, she exhaled a deep sigh, opened her eyes, and shook her head slightly. "Oh, God, Luke. For the record, I'm a big fan of married sex with you."

Luke smirked and leaned down to kiss her. "Good... likewise." He resumed his thrusts into her, and her soft groans of pleasure started back up again.

They shared smiles and passionate kisses as he moved inside of her, her hands smoothing up and down his muscular back. He picked up his pace as he neared his peak, finishing with hard, deep thrusts until he spilled inside of her with a satisfied groan.

He immediately buried his face against her shoulder, muttering, "Holy… wow."

Lorelai smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I think you mean holy cow, and I agree. Who knew that our married sex would be even better than our permanent-but-unmarried sex?"

"I had no idea," he panted, breathing heavily to catch his breath. He pressed a soft kiss to her neck before he rolled off of her to lie beside her on the bed.

They both rolled onto their sides to face each other, happily basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. "How long have we been gone?" Lorelai asked him.

"I'm not sure," Luke replied, and he glanced back at the clock. "I think probably long enough for everyone to know _why_ we're gone."

Lorelai smiled and reached over to comb her fingers through his hair. "It's no big deal. We'll field a few inappropriate comments, and then we'll distract them with food. Let's stop at the diner and grab some pastries or something."

"Okay," he agreed, and then he closed his eyes. "I'm exhausted."

Lorelai frowned sympathetically. "Yeah, I honestly can't believe you haven't passed out yet. You're not one for all-nighters."

"Must be the wedding endorphins keeping me going or something," he murmured, his eyes still closed.

"Yeah, maybe." Lorelai watched him for a few seconds, smiling to herself at the content look on his face. She reached out and rested her palm against his cheek. "I'm sorry that it took so long," she whispered.

Luke opened his eyes and gave her a confused look. " _What_ took so long? The sex? That didn't take long…"

Lorelai pulled her hand back. "No, us… the marriage, the wedding," she clarified, and then she sighed softly. "It should've happened years ago."

Luke sat up on the bed and faced her, and he shook his head. "That's not something you have to apologize for. We weren't ready."

Lorelai sat up next to him and pulled her pillow into her lap. " _I_ wasn't ready," she corrected him. "You've been ready, you were waiting for me."

"And I would've waited fifty more years if I had to," he said softly. "I wasn't going anywhere."

Lorelai smiled and glanced down at the pillow in her lap. "I know."

"Look, it doesn't matter if we were married or not… for the past nine years, we were together, we were committed, we were happy." Luke paused a moment and hesitantly asked, "You were happy, right?"

Lorelai quickly lifted her head to look at him, and she reached for his hand. "Of course I was happy," she assured him. "Please don't ever doubt that. I _was_ happy and I'm _still_ happy."

Luke smiled. "Okay, good. Me, too."

Lorelai distractedly drew circles with her finger on his palm. "You're sure you're not… I mean, are you okay that we didn't have…" Her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard.

Luke squeezed her hand. "If I thought that having a baby was something that I _needed_ to be really, truly happy, I would've brought it up years ago. It would've been a discussion, Lorelai… I would've talked to you about it."

Lorelai took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "You promise?"

"Yes, I promise," he told her. "Just like _you_ would've brought it up to me if it was something that was really important to _you_ , right?"

Lorelai nodded. "Right."

"I think we would've been happy if it happened, but we weren't _unhappy_ that it _didn't_ happen," Luke surmised. "We didn't _need_ it to happen to be satisfied, you know?"

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I just don't wanna feel like I made you miss out on something because you were afraid to bring it up."

"You didn't," he assured her. "I've told you that." He leaned in close to her and cradled her face in his hands. "No regrets."

Lorelai covered his hands with hers. "None?"

"Not one thing," he said firmly. " _You_ are everything I need."

Lorelai smiled. "Back at ya." She leaned in closer and pressed her lips to his.

. . . . .

. . . . .

They drove back to the town square and parked by the diner. They ran in and grabbed some snacks, then headed toward the group chatting at a table by the gazebo.

"We're back," Lorelai announced. "And we brought food."

They were greeted with some knowing smirks, but besides a comment from Miss Patty about how the first time as a married couple is magical, no one else pressed the topic of where they'd been.

The group dug into the offering of donuts and muffins. Luke poured Lorelai a glass of champagne, then one for himself, the taste having eventually grown on him over the years.

Lorelai sat down at the table with a donut and champagne, announcing, "This is the wedding dinner of champions right here."

"I don't know, I'm kind of looking forward to the open hot dog cart tomorrow," Rory said.

"You mean today," Michel pointed out, tapping his watch.

Lorelai leaned in close to Miss Patty and whispered, "You got my text, right? About the song?"

Miss Patty nodded. "All taken care of, honey."

Lorelai smiled and patted her on the arm. "Bless you."

"What are you whispering about?" Luke asked as he sat down beside her.

Lorelai smiled at him. "About how handsome my husband is."

Luke gave her a doubtful smirk. "Uh huh."

Lorelai broke off a piece of her donut and offered it toward him. "Here, get some carbs in you because I'm dragging you out on that dance floor in five minutes."

"I guess I'd better get some more of _this_ in me, too," he said, holding up his glass of champagne. "Then I won't care how spazzy I look out there."

Lorelai smiled. "Good idea." She held up her own glass and clinked it against his. "I'll try that, too."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Before long, the sun was starting to rise and the impromptu wedding came to an end. It was only a matter of hours before they'd meet back in the same place to do it all again. As Lorelai and Luke thanked their guests and said their goodbyes, Rory wandered over to the gazebo and sat on the steps.

When everyone else had left, Lorelai nudged Luke gently with her elbow and nodded toward Rory. "She looks like she has something on her mind, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, I was thinking that myself." Luke placed his hand on the small of her back. "Why don't you go talk to her? I'll head to the diner... stop by when you're done and we'll have some breakfast."

Lorelai smiled and kissed him. "Okay." She grabbed her glass of champagne and the bottle and headed toward the gazebo.

. . . . .

. . . . .

Twenty minutes later, Lorelai walked into the diner and shut the door behind her. She leaned back against the door and stared straight ahead, lost in thought.

Luke poked his head out of the kitchen to see who had entered. "Hey. Coffee's just about..." His voice trailed off when he saw Lorelai's expression, and he walked over to her, concerned. "What happened?"

Lorelai slowly turned her head to meet his gaze. "Rory's pregnant."

Luke's eyes widened. "What?"

Lorelai nodded and started walking to the counter. "She just told me that she's pregnant, and that it's Logan's baby." She sighed before adding, "Logan, who is currently living in another country and is engaged to someone else."

Luke followed her behind the counter, rubbing his temple. "Wow. That's heavy."

"Yeah." Lorelai started pouring herself a cup of coffee. "She doesn't know what to do."

"What does that mean, she doesn't know what to do?" Luke asked. "She doesn't know if she wants to keep it?"

Lorelai took a deep breath as she placed the pot back on the coffee maker. She turned to face Luke, bracing herself for his reaction. "No… she's not sure she wants to tell him about it."

Luke's face tensed up and he blinked a few times. "Lorelai..."

Lorelai nodded quickly, knowing exactly what he was about to say. "I know, I know."

"That's what Anna did to me," Luke reminded her. "She can't do that to him, that's not fair."

"I know, Luke."

"Even if they're not together, he has a right to know about his own kid," Luke continued.

Lorelai put her hand on his chest and she calmly said, "Hon, I know… I understand, I agree with you, I get it."

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Luke asked. "Try to help her see it from another point of view?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not yet, okay? Let's give her time to process all of this on her own first, and then hopefully she'll realize what the right thing to do is. In the meantime, just pretend you don't know anything about that part of it, okay? Please?"

Luke nodded understandingly. "Okay."

"She told me I could tell _you_ she was pregnant, but she doesn't want anyone else to know," Lorelai told him. "So, say nothing."

"I won't say a word," Luke told her. "Where is she now?"

"She's still out there," Lorelai said, gesturing toward the window. "She needed a few minutes to herself, she had to text that Paul guy back." She took a sip of coffee and then set the mug on the counter as she exhaled a loud sigh.

"So, what are you feeling right now?" Luke asked her.

"Mixed emotions," Lorelai replied with a shrug. "Surprised, mainly... I'm still wrapping my mind around it."

Luke comfortingly rubbed her arm. "Yeah, I bet."

"I just don't want her to feel like I did. I don't want the exciting part of having a baby to be overlooked because of all the other complications, you know?" Lorelai shook her head sadly. "Because I've been there, it's not fun."

Luke nodded. "I know."

"I don't want people to make her feel bad or make her feel like this is a mistake that's going to ruin her life," Lorelai continued. "I want her to be happy, I want people to see this situation as something good... even if it's a little messy." She exhaled a deep breath. "I know the circumstances are different and that I was a kid, but I hated that everybody looked at my being pregnant as this big negative thing. They were so caught up in the complications of the situation that nobody thought, hey, maybe we should at least pretend to be positive for the scared pregnant girl instead of making her feel like a failure."

Luke's face softened and he frowned sympathetically. "Hey, _we_ will make this a happy thing for her," he assured her. "I mean, we can't control how others see it, and Lord knows things might not exactly be cheery when… or _if_ … she tells Logan, but at least _we_ can be supportive. She can stay with us at the house if she wants, we'll build a nursery for the baby, we'll start a college fund, we'll do whatever we can to help her." He shrugged and added, "And if she doesn't want us to help her, we'll respect that, too. We'll offer, but we won't push her... we'll let her tell us what she wants, and we'll be supportive no matter what so that she doesn't look back on this situation and remember it as all negative." Luke paused a moment to catch his breath, then reached for her hand. "We won't make her feel like you felt, I promise."

Lorelai had been smiling adoringly at her husband while he ranted, and she now felt tears welling up in her eyes that she wiped away with her thumbs. "You know, if we weren't already married right now, I would propose." She stepped closer and kissed him softly. "Thanks for always loving my girl as much as I do."

"You're welcome." Luke pulled her into a hug and held her for a few moments, gently rubbing her back. "It's gonna be good," he told her. "She'll be okay, once she gets over the shock of it."

Lorelai pulled back to look at him, and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I hope so."

The bell on the door jingled, and they both glanced over at it.

Rory walked in and shut the door behind her, then stood nervously in front of it. "Hey," she said softly, her eyes glancing between the two of them.

Lorelai smiled at her. "Hey, kid." She glanced over at Luke and telepathically reminded him to keep the mood light and happy, even though she knew she didn't have to.

Luke walked out from behind the counter and over to Rory. He smiled warmly at her before he pulled her into a hug. "Your mom told me the news," he said. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Luke," Rory said as she hugged him back. "It's kind of a surprise, I know."

Luke pulled back from her and nodded. "Life is full of 'em."

"Yeah, well…" Rory shrugged a little, unsure of what to say, and then sighed softly. "This is a big one."

Luke rubbed her arm comfortingly. "Look, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I just wanted you to know that _I_ know, and that we're here for you."

Rory smiled appreciatively at Luke, and then at Lorelai. "Thanks."

Luke gestured toward the kitchen. "How about some breakfast?"

Rory nodded. "Sounds good."

Lorelai sat down at a table with her coffee and patted the back of the chair next to her. "Come sit, honey."

As Rory walked over to sit with Lorelai, Luke headed toward the kitchen. "What are we having? Pancakes? Scrambled eggs? Hash browns? Bacon?"

"All of the above," Lorelai replied. "I've got a few quarts of champagne in my stomach that have to be soaked up."

"Coming right up," Luke said, and he disappeared into the kitchen.

Lorelai smiled at Rory and reached over to squeeze her hand. "So… I have an important item for you to think about."

Rory eyed her curiously. "Okay."

Lorelai took a deep breath. "As you're aware, it's been a long-standing tradition for members of the Gilmore family to name their first born daughter Lorelai."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Mom… we're not talking about baby names already."

"I'm just saying that if it's a girl, you will have to consider whether or not you want to uphold this Gilmore tradition." She shrugged and added, "I'll love you either way, I just don't want my granddaughter to one day look back on her lineage and realize that she is the reason this tradition stopped, and then subsequently carry that burden with her the rest of her life."

Rory smirked a little. "Granddaughter... ha."

Lorelai's eyes widened at the sudden realization. "Oh, God, that just slipped out, but that hadn't sunk in yet… I'm a _grandmother_." She shook her head in disbelief. "Whoa. Yeah, that'll take some getting used to, that whole _grand_ business."

"Well, maybe we should have Dewey and Brandon start calling you Grandma for a few months and help you get used to the term," Rory suggested.

Lorelai frowned at Rory. "Not funny." She stood up from her chair. "You want some coffee?"

"Sure." Rory paused a moment. "Wait. Is that okay?"

Lorelai winced. "Oh, right, I think you're supposed to limit your caffeine when you're pregnant," she said, and then patted Rory on the shoulder. "I'll make you some decaf... that's better than nothing." She walked behind the counter and put on a pot of decaf, and then walked into the kitchen.

Luke was at the stove with a spatula in one hand as he worked on breakfast, and he glanced over at her as she walked in. "Hey. Everything okay?"

Lorelai walked over to him and hugged him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"You being so calm with her about this situation made _me_ feel calmer," she said quietly. "And that's exactly what she needs right now… calm, understanding people to talk to."

Luke nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We can handle that."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "You realize that we're grandparents now?"

Luke paused a moment to think about that, then declared, "Yeah, that'll take some getting used to."

"Yeah, tell me about it," she muttered. "I'm a _grandmother_. You know what that means? That's my new identity now. That's the term they'll use whenever they need to describe me."

"Who's _they_?" Luke asked, confused. "Who's describing you?"

"The media," Lorelai replied. "Like, if I ever win some sort of prestigious award, you know what the headline will say? It'll say, 'Local grandmother voted best butt in Stars Hollow.' That's who I am now... a local grandmother."

Luke smirked. " _That's_ your prestigious award?"

Lorelai cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you contesting my ability to win such an award?" she asked pointedly. "I'll have you know, I have a nice butt."

"Oh, I know you do," he agreed with a nod. "Definitely an award-worthy butt."

"Thank you." Lorelai took a step back from him, took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Okay, it's okay, we're good. I can handle this, I can handle the…" She grimaced slightly as she finished. "… grandmothering."

Luke smiled. "Good." He nodded toward the doorway. "Go keep Rory company, the food'll be done in a few minutes."

"Okay. We'll eat, we'll go home, we'll take a power nap, and then we'll get ready for round two." Lorelai patted him on the shoulder and casually asked, "Hey, if you're not doing anything later, you wanna maybe get married again?"

Luke smiled. "Sounds good."

"Okay, it's a date." Lorelai leaned in to kiss him, and when she pulled back, her lips lingered near his as she whispered, "And obviously, we'll have to consummate it again and make the second marriage official, too."

"Obviously," he concurred.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, adding, "I know that doesn't logically make sense because only the first one is official, but I just wanted an excuse to have more mandatory married sex with you later."

Luke smirked. "I support that decision." He kissed her again, deeper this time, and his hand slid down her back and caressed the curves of her ass.

Lorelai pulled away with a smile and started backing toward the doorway. "Best one in Stars Hollow, right?"

Luke winked at her. "No contest."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Officially Married - Chapter 2**

. . . . .

. . . . .

When they arrived home from breakfast, Luke and Lorelai went right upstairs to their bedroom to try to get some sleep. They used the bathroom, changed into sleepwear, and immediately climbed into bed.

Lorelai waved her phone at him. "I set the alarm to go off in one hour," she told him. "We have one hour to rejuvenate for the day."

Luke groaned exhaustedly. "We're not gonna make it."

Lorelai placed the phone on the nightstand and then cuddled up against him. "Yeah, it's gonna be tough. We'll just have to keep the caffeine flowing."

"Or we're gonna have to sneak a nap in between the ceremony and the reception."

"Yeah, and that'll give us good street cred among the naughtier folks who'll think we're just off somewhere rollicking."

"Good, just what I'm looking for, street cred," he said dryly.

Lorelai kissed him and then rested her head against his chest. "Night."

"Night."

. . . . .

. . . . .

That afternoon, the wedding reception was in full swing in the town square. A few hours had passed since ceremony number two, and in those few hours, a million pictures had been taken, two flash mobs had performed, and a lot of alcohol had been consumed.

Despite the severe lack of sleep, Lorelai was going strong on the dance floor. She would occasionally drag Luke out there for a slow song, but otherwise was enjoying herself dancing with Sookie, Rory, and the other wedding guests.

Lorelai took a break from dancing to walk around with Luke to mingle with the guests, then they sat down at their table for awhile. Luke found it hard to focus on anything else but his beautiful bride, who looked stunning in her wedding gown.

After one of the many times she noticed him staring at her, she leaned in close to him. "You're undressing me with your eyes again," she whispered.

Luke kissed her and then smiled against her lips. "I can't help it."

Lorelai giggled. "Just remember that we are the focal point of this event and people are watching us and taking pictures of us at any given moment, and all of those pictures are going to show your eyes having virtual sex with me."

Luke leaned in and kissed her again, deeper this time, and as he pulled back, he said, "I'm good with that."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, just checking."

Kirk walked up to their table. "Excuse me, Lorelai, what time did you want to do the cake?"

Lorelai pondered for a moment, then glanced at Luke with a shrug. "Hm, I guess maybe twenty minutes?" Luke nodded in agreement, and Lorelai said to Kirk, "Twenty minutes, Kirk."

Kirk saluted her. "Got it." As he started walking away, he held a walkie-talkie up to his mouth and said, "Have the cake ready to go in twenty minutes… I repeat, the ETA for the cake is twenty minutes."

Lorelai stood up and patted Luke on the arm. "I need your help… come with me, please." She took Luke's hand and started pulling him across the square. They walked past Rory talking with Lane, Zach, and Jess, and Lorelai told them, "Bathroom break, then the cake."

"How poetic," Rory commented. "You need help with the dress?"

Lorelai gestured to Luke. "Bringing the old ball and chain for that. We'll be right back."

They headed toward the diner and went upstairs to Luke's old apartment. It was mainly used now as an office for taking care of diner business, but occasionally served as a guest room since it still had two beds.

They walked over to the bathroom door, and Lorelai turned her back to him. He helped her out of her dress and lay it on the bed, and she disappeared into the bathroom. He walked over to the window and looked out at the square while he waited for her.

She walked out of the bathroom and joined him in looking out the window. "Everything looks so pretty even from up here," she commented.

"Yeah, it does," he agreed, then he wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "It's perfect." They stood like that for a minute before Lorelai took a step back from him.

"So, tell me the truth…" She gestured to her white silk slip. "This is too revealing to go outside in, right? Because I don't know if I have the energy to put the dress back on."

Luke smiled as he stepped up to her and put his hands on her waist. "You cannot go outside in this," he told her. "We can get some more coffee in you, though."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay." She draped her arms over his shoulders. "I'm actually not as exhausted as I should be."

"Neither am I."

"It'll probably hit us hard later," she mused, and he nodded in agreement.

"I still can't believe you changed my song," Luke said, an amused smirk on his lips. "You're something else."

"I thought it worked well," Lorelai said, smiling brightly. " _Every day is like survival… you're my lover, not my rival_. What sums up a new marriage better than those lines?"

"Nothing I can think of." Luke cocked his head to the side, his voice softening a little as he asked, "You doing okay? Are you trying not to think about what's going on with Rory?"

"Trying, yeah, but it's hard not to," Lorelai admitted with a shrug. "I mean, just knowing that she's got so much on her mind right now and that she's trying to put on this brave, happy face today in front of everyone… I feel bad for her."

"Yeah, I get that," he said.

"I hope she's having fun," Lorelai said. "It's probably hard for her to put it all aside and enjoy herself."

"She's having fun," Luke assured her. "She's happy for us, she's happy about today, even with all of her own stuff going on."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Luke squeezed her waist. "Have I told you how amazing you look today?"

"Yes, you have," she confirmed with a smile. "Both verbally, and with your eyes all day long."

"Good."

Lorelai ran her hands down his lapels. "And you still look hot in this suit. Miss Patty try to steal you from me yet today?"

"Several times," he confirmed.

Lorelai cradled his neck in her hands. "Well, you're officially mine now, she can't have you."

Luke leaned in to kiss her, then pulled back with a smile. "I've always been officially yours."

Lorelai grinned and pressed her lips to his for a passionate kiss. When they finally parted, he helped her put her dress back on, and they grabbed her a cup of coffee from the diner before heading back to the party.

They cut the cake together and fed each other pieces of it while being bombarded by a barrage of camera flashes. The cake was sliced and passed out, and everyone returned to their tables to eat.

Lorelai was sitting between Luke and Rory, and when she finished her own slice of cake, she glanced over at Luke's partially-eaten piece. "You gonna finish that?" she asked.

Luke glanced from her to the cake, then back to her. "I _was_ , but not if someone else wants it."

Lorelai smiled. "My piece wasn't big enough."

"It never is," he replied, and he rubbed her arm as he stood up. "I'll get you another piece. Anyone else want another piece of cake?" he asked the table.

"I'm fine, thank you," Emily replied.

"I'll take one," Rory said.

"That's my girl," Lorelai said proudly.

"Anyone else?" he asked, looking at Jess and Liz, who shook their heads.

"We're good. TJ and Doula finished theirs and now they're getting more hot dogs from the cart," Liz replied.

Luke narrowed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "Yeah, that's what I like to wash my cake down with, too," he muttered before walking away.

Lorelai pulled Rory up from the table and led her a few feet away for some privacy. "How's everything going?" Lorelai asked her quietly. "You okay?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." She fingered the bracelet on her wrist for a moment, then glanced at Lorelai. "I feel kind of bad about telling you…" Rory glanced around, then lowered her voice. "... _the news_ … when I did. I should've waited until after today, after all of this," she said, gesturing around her. "I feel like I ruined your wedding."

Lorelai gasped softly. "Stop, you did _not_ ," she told her. "Not at all. The only way that news affected today is that I'm now drinking your share of the alcohol."

Rory smiled. "You're drinking for two, I'm eating for two?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Exactly." She rubbed Rory's arm comfortingly. "Listen, you know what kind of news ruins things? Bad news, horrible news, terrible life-threatening-illness type of news... but your news isn't any of those things. Surprising, yes… a little complicated, yes… but not _bad_."

"A _little_ complicated?" Rory repeated with a laugh. "That's the understatement of the century."

Lorelai shook her head. "It could be worse, honey, believe me. How you deal with a surprising, slightly complicated situation is just one of life's many tests to see what kind of person you are." She pulled Rory into a hug. "And you, kid, are a great person."

Rory hugged Lorelai tightly as she admitted, "I don't always feel like a great person. Some of my choices lately have been... well, the opposite of great."

"Peaks and valleys," Lorelai reminded her. "That's life. If you do something that you don't feel great about, you learn from it and you figure out how to be better. It's that simple. Live and learn, you know?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Mom."

Lorelai pulled back from the hug and smiled at Rory. "And hey, once you finish this first book, you've already got the perfect subject for the sequel."

Rory smiled. "Yeah, well… let's see how the first one goes."

Lorelai nodded, and she glanced behind Rory to see Luke walking toward them. "Oh, our personal cake delivery has arrived," she said.

They walked back to the table, and Luke placed a new piece of cake in front of each of them, then sat down next to Lorelai.

"Thanks, Luke," Rory said.

"Thanks, hon," Lorelai said.

"You're welcome," Luke replied, then glanced surprisingly down at his plate with his half-eaten cake on it. "Wow, wasn't expecting that to still be here."

Lorelai ate a forkful of her cake, then waved her fork at him. "You know, nothing quite says ' _I love you'_ like body-shaming your wife at your wedding."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Stop. I have never, and will never, shame your body."

Lorelai raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer to him. "Does that only include talking about it in a shameful way, or does it also include doing shameful things _to_ it? Because I can provide some examples of the latter."

Rory groaned. "Mom, please."

"We can hear you over here, Lorelai," Emily said from the other side of the table.

"Loud and clear," Jess added.

"Are you drunk?" Emily asked.

Lorelai frowned. "I will remember that my entire wedding table was mean to me on my wedding day."

"When are you guys leaving for your honeymoon?" Liz asked.

"Monday morning," Lorelai confirmed.

"Where are you headed again?" Liz asked. "Puerto Rico?"

"Punta Cana," Lorelai replied with an excited grin, then gestured toward her mother. "A very generous wedding gift from one Emily Gilmore."

Emily shrugged nonchalantly. "You deserve a nice honeymoon to relax and celebrate your marriage, especially after waiting all this time."

"Thanks, Mom," Lorelai muttered, sharing a look with Luke as she refrained from commenting further on Emily's remark.

"We appreciate it, Emily," Luke added.

Lorelai gestured to Rory. "This one will be at the house keeping Paul Anka company 'til we get back."

"Yeah, and we're planning to throw some pretty wild parties while the parental units are away," Rory added.

Lorelai shook her head disappointedly. "Tsk, you know Mommy hates when you and your brother do fun things without her."

"Lorelai!" Sookie called to her from the dance floor. "Get out here and look stupid with me!"

Lorelai stood up from the table and looked confusedly at Sookie, and it took her a second to recognize that _Y.M.C.A._ was starting to play through the speakers.

Lorelai smiled, shoved a forkful of cake into her mouth, and then gestured for her entire table to get up. "All right, people - by attending this wedding, you are contractually obligated to do as the bride wishes, no matter how absurd it is, and I want everyone on the dance floor forming letters with their arms, pronto! Let's go!"

. . . . .

. . . . .

That night, after round two of their wedding consummation activities, Luke and Lorelai were getting ready for bed. As Lorelai brushed her teeth, she poked her head out of the bathroom and said, "I'm telling you right now, I'm going to need at least 10 hours of sleep to be able to function tomorrow in any capacity."

"I'm right there with ya," he replied. "I don't even know how we made it through the day without collapsing."

"Because we had an enticing endpoint in mind that we were trying to reach, and that kept us going," Lorelai said. She gestured toward the bed, adding, "And now that we've completed that endpoint, our bodies are like, _'okay, that was hot, but we're done and we need to sleep now.'_ "

"Sounds about right."

She disappeared back into the bathroom to finish up, and joined him in the bed a few minutes later.

"We have to pack tomorrow," he reminded her.

"Ugh," Lorelai groaned as she settled against her pillow. "I don't wanna think about it yet. Too tired. Need sleep."

"Okay. I'll remind you tomorrow after ten hours of sleep, two cups of coffee, and at least one meal containing red meat. How's that?"

Lorelai smiled. "Perfect, thank you."

Luke leaned over and kissed her. "Goodnight.

"'Night."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next day was spent packing and preparing for their honeymoon. In the bedroom after lunch, as Lorelai was piling items into two open suitcases on the bed, Rory was working on her computer in the armchair by the window.

Lorelai walked out of the closet carrying a yellow sundress. "What about this?"

Rory looked up from her laptop and eyed the dress. "I like that one."

"Like it, not love it?" Lorelai countered.

"It's a pretty solid like," Rory replied with a shrug.

Lorelai frowned and tossed the sundress aside. "So, that's a no." She walked back into the closet and returned with three more dresses. "Which of these is your favorite, and by favorite, I mean which of these do you think I look the hottest in?"

Rory surveyed them all and then declared, "The blue one, and make sure you bring your strappy wedge sandals."

Lorelai placed the dress into one of the suitcases and then retrieved the shoes and placed them in the other.

"Isn't that Luke's suitcase?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, and he's stronger, so he gets to carry the shoes," Lorelai replied. "It's a finely tuned system."

"Got it." Rory focused back on her laptop as Lorelai wandered into the bathroom to start collecting toiletries.

A few minutes later, Luke walked into the room holding a bag from Doose's market. "I'm back," he announced. "Here's your stuff."

"Did you get all the airplane snacks?" Lorelai called from the bathroom.

"I got everything on the list," Luke replied.

"Okay, you can leave it on the bed, I'll pack them in the carryon," Lorelai called back.

As Luke set the bag on the bed, he glanced into the suitcases, then rolled his eyes slightly. "I get the shoes, huh?"

"You get the shoes," Rory confirmed with a nod. "Apparently, you two have a finely tuned system."

"A finely tuned system that only one of us benefits from," Luke replied.

"Um, excuse me," Lorelai said as she walked out of the bathroom. "Wearing the perfect shoes ensures that I am accentuating my legs to their fullest potential, and _you_ get to look at the legs, so yes, you benefit from the system." She dropped a bunch of toiletries into his suitcase. "You get the liquids, too."

"Of course I do," he muttered.

Lorelai smiled and squeezed his bicep. "Come on, what's the use of me marrying these buff arms if I can't put them to good use?"

"Save me some room for my clothes, at least," Luke requested.

"I will," Lorelai promised, then softly added, "…try. I will try."

Luke cocked his head to the side. "Lorelai."

"What? I said I'd try. Isn't that all you can really ask for in life, that someone tries their best?"

Luke took a deep breath and huffed it out. "I'm going to the diner for a few hours. You want me to bring something home for dinner?"

Lorelai glanced over at Rory. "Honey, what do we want for dinner?"

"Pizza," Rory replied. "And cheesy bread."

"Oh, and tacos," Lorelai added.

Luke shook his head slightly. "Right, because when you think of pizza, you think of tacos as a good side dish," he muttered, then leaned in to kiss Lorelai on the cheek. "I'll be back later with dinner. Don't overpack my suitcase."

"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai replied. "Bye, hon."

"Bye, Luke," Rory said.

As Luke walked out of the room, Lorelai started organizing the toiletries in his suitcase. She glanced over at Rory working on her computer. "You working on the book?"

"I was," Rory replied, looking up from the screen. "Now I'm working on a to-do list."

"For anything in particular?"

"Oh, you know, just… life."

"That could wind up being quite a list."

Rory exhaled a sigh. "Yeah, it's turning out to be. I just feel like I need to have some sort of game plan."

Lorelai nodded. "I understand."

"I'm starting off with things I need to do over the next few weeks, and then building up to things to do over the next few months, and so on and so on."

"Right, got it." Lorelai gestured to the closet. "I gotta grab a few more things, then maybe we can go have some ice cream and go through that list together. Your very wise mother may be able to help you organize it."

Rory nodded. "Yeah, that'd be good."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, give me a few minutes."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next morning, Luke and Lorelai walked through the airport gift shop as they waited for their flight. They picked up some breakfast and a couple of magazines, then wandered back to their gate to sit down.

Lorelai unwrapped her muffin in her lap, and glanced over at Luke. "So, Rory started a list of things she needs to do to start getting her life organized."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Luke asked as he began eating his cup of yogurt.

"You know, like find a doctor and start prenatal care, find a place to live, a stable job..."

"A place to live? I thought she was gonna write at your parents' house for awhile."

"She is, until Mom sells it," Lorelai replied. "But then she'll need to find a place of her own."

"Is she still planning to look for something in Queens?"

Lorelai shrugged. "When I asked her, she wasn't sure, so I think she's rethinking the Queens idea. Maybe she wants to be closer to us so we can help out with the baby."

"That makes sense," Luke replied. "But what do you mean, a stable job? What kind of job? How is she gonna work on the book and have a full-time job?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "I asked her that, too, because if she thinks that writing this book is what she's meant to do, then I don't want her to push it to the background and lose the motivation for it and then somehow resent the baby for it."

"Right. You say that to her?"

"No, I just asked some questions to see where her head was at," Lorelai replied, then popped a piece of muffin into her mouth. "She's gonna work on the book as much as she can before the baby comes."

"And then?" Luke prompted her.

"And then she said she'll try to find something that can give her a more steady income," Lorelai replied. "Like a more consistent writing job, or maybe some sort of editing job, she's not sure yet." Lorelai paused a moment and stared down at her muffin.

"What is it?" Luke asked, noticing the concern on her face.

Lorelai shrugged and looked over at him. "I don't know. I think she's still got that drive and that desire to travel and write stories, so I think the idea of settling down and not being able to do that... it'll take some getting used to."

"She doesn't have to stop that altogether, though," Luke said. "If she wants to travel somewhere to cover a story, we'll watch the kid. Isn't that what grandparents are for?"

Lorelai made a face and held up her hand. "Okay, first rule of the honeymoon is that we do not refer to ourselves as grandparents, okay?"

Luke smiled. "Okay, sorry."

Lorelai patted his arm. "But I love that you're jumping right into the role."

Luke shrugged a little. "The more I think about it, the more I'm looking forward to it. It'll be fun, you know? Watching her raise the baby, helping her out, spoiling it like grand- " He abruptly cut himself off when he realized the forbidden word was about to come out of his mouth, and he finished, "Like relatives do."

Lorelai smiled at his quick recovery, and she nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It'll be fun."

Luke finished his yogurt and threw the empty cup away, then sat back down beside her. "So, did you decide about the zip lining yet?"

When they've traveled over the years, they always tried to step out of their comfort zone and try a new experience on each trip, something they'd never done before. Lorelai had mentioned to Luke that she read online that zip lining was a popular activity near their resort.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose and admitted, "Not yet. Still weighing the pros and cons of having that exhilarating, adventurous experience versus the possibility of falling to my death."

Luke snorted a laugh. "You're not gonna fall, they're safe, but we don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"I really do _want_ to," Lorelai told him. "I'm just nervous."

Luke nodded understandably. "I know, we'll play it by ear. Maybe once you get there and see it in person, you'll feel better about it."

"Or more terrified."

"Or more terrified," he agreed. "Either way, seeing it in person will help you decide."

"If I'm too scared to do it and you really want to do it, you can do it without me," she told him. "Although, if it looks too terrifying for _me_ to try, I'll probably have a heart attack watching _you_ do it."

Luke shook his head. "We're in it together, either way."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay."

. . . . .

. . . . .

They arrived at their hotel in the late afternoon, settled into their room, and freshened up before heading out to explore the resort grounds. They ate dinner at one of the fancier onsite restaurants, and followed it up with a walk along the white sandy beach.

Lorelai was wearing Luke's suit jacket for warmth from the crisp night air, and he was carrying their shoes in one hand and holding her hand with the other. "This reminds me of our trip to the Bahamas," she said.

"Yup, I was thinking that, too," Luke agreed.

Lorelai glanced up ponderingly toward the sky, then at Luke. "That was… what? 2012?"

"Sounds about right," Luke replied with a nod. "And Aruba was 2009."

"The first stop in our quest to visit all the places mentioned in _Kokomo_ ," Lorelai said.

Luke smiled at her. "We have a lot to go."

"We'll get there." Lorelai squeezed his hand. "We should try to go away more."

"We will be. Apparently we're gonna be visiting Nantucket at least twice a year," Luke reminded her with a smirk.

Lorelai smiled. "Well, besides _those_ trips, we should go away more just the two of us. And it doesn't always have to be to some fancy resort like this. We can take little road trips or boat trips, or basically any form of transportation trips, just to get away from life for a few days and focus on each other."

Luke looked over at her and smiled as he nodded. "That sounds nice."

They sat at a beachside bar for awhile and enjoyed some drinks before heading back to their room. Clothes were shed and strewn across the floor as they made their way to the bed, and the first night of their honeymoon ended with two satisfied newlyweds cuddling under the blankets.

When Luke climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom, Lorelai sat up in the bed. She pulled the sheet up around her chest, tucking it beneath her arms. She ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back against the headboard, nibbling on her bottom lip as she waited for him.

When Luke walked out of the bathroom, he abruptly stopped and narrowed his eyes at her. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you think something's wrong?" Lorelai asked.

"Because I know you, and I know that look," he replied, and he walked over to the bed and sat down beside her. "You have something on your mind."

"Nothing's wrong," she assured him, then paused a moment before she added, "But I do have something I want to talk to you about."

"Okay."

Lorelai took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Okay, well, remember how you said you would go to my therapist with me if I wanted you to?"

Luke froze for a moment before he replied, "Yeah… I remember."

"Well, I think we should do something like that," she said. "Not _her_ specifically, I thought we could start with someone fresh… someone who specializes in working with couples."

Concern washed over Luke's face. "Should I be nervous that we're on the first day of our honeymoon and you think we need counseling already?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, not at all, I promise… nothing's wrong."

"So… then, why, Lorelai?"

Lorelai reached for his hand and stroked his palm. "Because, Luke… I think it wouldn't hurt to have some help with the transition we're gonna be going through."

Luke narrowed his eyes with confusion. "Transition? The transition to what?"

"The transition to husband and wife," she explained. "Think about it… for the past nine years, we've lived with this dynamic of being together for the long haul, but also still kind of separate, you know? And now we're gonna be shifting over to this new married dynamic, and I want us to be really connected and open with each other, and I think we're gonna need to learn how to ignore our old instincts of keeping things kind of separate."

Luke thought it over. "I guess that makes sense."

"I'm not saying that we have to erase all of our independence and individuality, because I don't think either of us is genetically programmed for that," she said with a smile.

Luke smiled and nodded in agreement.

"But I do think it's gonna be an adjustment for us to meld our lives together more than we have been, and it could help us to have some guidance on that," Lorelai said. "I mean, we don't even have a joint checking account, Luke. Doesn't that seem weird, to be together this long and still keep our finances completely separate like we're just roommates?"

"We'll get one," Luke told her. "We'll go to the bank when we get home and we'll get one."

Lorelai smiled appreciatively at his lack of hesitation. "Okay."

Luke eyed her for a moment, then said, "So… therapy, huh? You really think it'll help?"

Lorelai nodded. "Let's just go once or twice and see what it's like, and if we don't think it's helpful, we won't go back, okay?"

While the idea of talking about their relationship to a stranger didn't appeal to him in the least, he certainly wasn't going to dismiss any opportunity that could help it succeed. "Yeah, I'll go," he told her with a nod. "If that's what you want, we can go."

Lorelai smiled gratefully. "Thank you." She patted his hand and added, "By the way, I already found someone and made an appointment for next week."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Officially Married - Chapter 3**

. . . . .

. . . . .

They spent most of their honeymoon days relaxing by the beach or the pool, and took advantage of some of the excursions offered by the resort... boat rides, snorkeling, horseback riding on the beach. The zip lining, however, they decided to save for another trip… _maybe_.

Every evening after dinner, they would take a walk along the beach, and on their last night, they spent a little time on the dance floor at the resort's outside bar.

As they danced to a slow song, Lorelai's head resting against his chest, Luke softly murmured, "I don't want to leave."

"Mm," Lorelai hummed in agreement. "Tell me about it."

"It would be wrong to just never go home, right?" Luke asked her.

"Nah. We're just leaving behind two businesses, two daughters, a dog, a future grandchild, and many family members and loved ones, but we'll easily find replacements for all of that here on the island," Lorelai said.

Luke smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Okay, good."

Lorelai lifted her head to look at him and pressed a kiss to his lips. As she pulled back from him, she smiled devilishly and took his hand. She led him off the dance floor and out of the bar toward the sand.

"Where are we going?" he asked her.

"There's something I wanted to do that we haven't done yet," Lorelai told him. She pulled him over toward the line of private, enclosed cabanas near the ocean. As they approached the first one, she heard noises coming from inside it. "Oops, I guess I wasn't the only one with that task on their to-do list."

She pulled him further along to another cabana and peeked inside the curtain that surrounded it. "This one is empty," she whispered, and she pulled him inside. Two wide, cushioned lounge chairs sat in the middle of the dark tent, illuminated slightly by the moonlight sneaking in through the curtain opening. "Look at those, they look mighty sturdy."

Luke was smiling as he shook his head. "We are not doing this."

"Why not? This is what newlyweds do," Lorelai told him. "We need to have at least one good public sex story to share with people when we get home."

"Lorelai…"

Lorelai smiled sexily and gestured to her body. "What? You don't want this?"

Luke stepped closer and placed his hands on her waist. "You _know_ I do." He kissed her softly. "I _always_ do."

Lorelai gently brushed her lips against his before whispering, "Prove it."

"Oh, excuse me," an apologetic voice startled them, and they turned to see a resort worker standing at the opening of the curtains. "The cabanas are actually only available from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., I'm sorry for the inconvenience. You can come back in the morning," she said cheerfully.

Luke stepped back from Lorelai, stammering, "Oh, right, yeah, sorry... we were just, uh, looking at it."

"Just checking to see how big they are," Lorelai added. "We're leaving now. Have a good night!" She took Luke's hand and led him out of the cabana and started quickly pulling him down the beach.

"You're going to get us kicked out of the resort," Luke told her.

Lorelai turned around to face him, giggling as she continued to walk backwards. "Good thing it's our last night."

"I guess we have to save the public indecency for another trip."

"We could kill two birds with one stone and try to do it while zip lining," she suggested.

"Good plan."

They continued walking toward their room, and after a few minutes, Luke casually asked, "So, what do you know about that therapist guy you found?"

Lorelai glanced over at him quizzically. "That's what you wanna discuss right before our last round of honeymoon sex?"

Neither of them had brought up their upcoming therapy appointment since that first night, agreeing not to think about it yet and to just enjoy their honeymoon.

Luke shrugged. "Just for a minute."

Lorelai frowned. "You haven't been worrying about it all week, have you?"

"No, I haven't," he replied. "I was just thinking about how we're going home tomorrow and then I remembered the appointment's only a couple of days away."

"Okay. Well, I found him online and he had a lot of good reviews that described him as helpful and understanding and easy to talk to, and that he takes an unaggressive approach to treating couples. Plus, based on his picture, he looks to be just a little older than us, so I think he'll be a good fit."

"Treating couples," Luke repeated with a slight eyeroll. "Sounds like we have a disease and he's going to try to cure us."

Lorelai tightened her grasp on his hand. "We're not diseased, we're just afflicted by some light allergies, and he'll show us the best way to deal with them."

"Mmhmm."

They walked for a few moments in silence before Lorelai hesitantly asked, "Are you changing your mind about going?"

"No," he replied. "I just wanted to know a little about him."

"You sure?"

Luke stopped walking and turned to face her, taking both of her hands into his. "I told you I would go, and I will," he assured her. "Yeah, I'm a little nervous... I don't know why, but I am. But I'll meet with this guy and I'll do whatever else you need me to do that you think will help us turn into the super hero perfect couple you want us to be, okay? Whatever you want me to do, I'm gonna do it, Lorelai. I said that and I meant it."

Lorelai's lips curved into a smile, and she stepped up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Thank you," she said softly against his lips.

"You're welcome," he replied, and then he nodded toward the direction they'd been walking. "Now, let's go focus on that last round." Lorelai smiled and nodded, and they resumed heading toward their room.

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few days later, a few minutes before their first therapy appointment, Luke and Lorelai pulled up to the therapist's office in Litchfield. Luke turned off the truck and glanced over at her. "Ready?"

"I'm ready," she replied.

"What's his name again?"

"Dr. Flint," Lorelai replied. "And remember, we can't expect him to give us advice instantaneously. He's going to have to get to know us first, he's going to ask a lot of questions, all of which he probably has a good reason for asking, even if we think they seem meaningless or intrusive. So, let's go in there with open minds and answer his questions honestly and try not to be defensive. Otherwise, it's just gonna be a waste of time."

Luke nodded. "Got it."

They went into the office and filled out some paperwork, and then took a few minutes discussing with the therapist why they were there and what they wanted to accomplish with therapy.

"So, Luke, Lorelai, let me ask you," Dr. Flint said. "What do _you_ think is the biggest obstacle keeping your partnership from being the strongest that it could be?"

"Uh…" Luke glanced over at Lorelai, who was looking down at her hands in her lap. "I guess… maybe…"

Lorelai lifted her head to meet his gaze. She smiled at him warmly and then looked at Dr. Flint before replying, "I think we both have some issues with communication."

Dr. Flint nodded and jotted something down on the notepad in his lap. "And you said you've been together for nine years?"

"Well, technically nine continuous years, plus two additional years, with a one year sabbatical between the two years and the nine years," Lorelai replied, then paused before adding, "It's complicated."

Dr. Flint nodded. "I see. So, do we need to talk about the reasons for that sabbatical or have they already been addressed and resolved?"

"It's in the past," Luke confidently replied.

Lorelai looked over at Luke and hesitantly said, "Well…"

Luke turned toward her, his eyes narrowing with surprise. "You don't think it's been resolved? We talked it out to death when we got back together."

"Talked it out, yeah," Lorelai agreed. "But even with all the talking about what we should've done or could've done differently, we still aren't really as settled as we could be on that situation."

"Not settled?" Luke exclaimed, and the startled look on Lorelai's face made him immediately realize his tone was louder than he'd intended. "Sorry," he muttered and he exhaled a sigh. "But _nine years_ … for _nine years_ , you haven't been happy with that situation?"

"I didn't say I wasn't happy, I just haven't been completely…" Lorelai grasped silently for the right word before finally finishing with, "…satisfied with how it's evolved over the years. I think it could be at a better place by now, that's all." She turned to the therapist and explained, "There was a situation that came up in our relationship that we communicated very poorly about and we both made some bad decisions and yada yada yada... a one year sabbatical."

"Okay, well, it seems like we may need to revisit that situation in depth, but we'll put a pin in that for now," Dr. Flint told them, making a note on his notepad. "Speaking of satisfied, I want to touch quickly on the physical and intimate aspects of your relationship."

Luke's eyes widened as his gaze went from the therapist to Lorelai, and then back to the therapist. "What?"

"We won't go into any details today, so don't get too alarmed," Dr. Flint said. "I just like to informally find out if it's something we may need to focus on down the line."

Luke looked over at Lorelai. "Is that what you talked to _your_ therapist about?"

Lorelai cringed. "I was with my mother!"

"I mean after, when you were going alone."

Lorelai shook her head. "No, never. There's nothing to talk about. Our sex life is completely fine." She turned to the therapist and repeated, "Our sex life is fine."

"Would you agree with that statement, Luke?" Dr. Flint asked.

"Yup, it's fine," Luke quickly agreed.

"You would both describe your sexual activity as… normal? Consistent? Satisfying?" Dr. Flint asked.

"Definitely," Lorelai replied.

"Yup," Luke agreed.

"Okay. I know this is a sensitive topic to discuss with a therapist you just met," Dr. Flint said. "And I know it can be extremely uncomfortable to admit to a partner that you're not satisfied when they think you are, especially when there are communication issues. So, while I won't bring up this topic again myself since you've both agreed that it's not an issue, I do want you to know that if either of you changes your mind and this is something you want to discuss, you should feel free to mention it at any time. Okay?"

Lorelai and Luke glanced at each other, both nervously wondering if the other had anything to bring up, if the other had been hiding a dissatisfaction with their bedroom activities.

Finally, Lorelai said to Luke, "For the record, so you're not worried... I'm a hundred percent satisfied and I've got nothing I need to talk about when it comes to this topic."

"Me, too," Luke told her. "I'm good, too... no complaints."

They both turned back to the therapist. "It's one of the things we've always excelled at from the very beginning of our relationship," Lorelai told him, with a hint of pride. "We may not always be good at talking, but boy can we - "

"Lorelai," Luke cut her off, a slightly embarrassed smile on his lips. "He gets it."

"Sorry," Lorelai quickly said.

"Okay, we won't focus on the physical aspects of your relationship," Dr. Flint said. "We'll focus on the other aspects. Let's go back to the communication issue… on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your communication level?"

Lorelai glanced over at Luke and grimaced slightly. "Uh… five?"

"Sounds about right," he agreed.

The therapist eyed them both before making a note on his notepad. "Okay. Do you have any examples of where there was a lapse in communication? A recent example would work best, something fresh in both of your minds that we can discuss."

Lorelai took a deep breath and calmly replied, "Luke thought I was having an affair and didn't say a word to me about it."

Luke quickly turned his head to look at Lorelai. "Why would you say that?"

Lorelai shrugged. "It's a recent example of a mutual communication issue."

"Yeah, but it's not a _true_ example."

"It's completely true," Lorelai replied. "You _knew_ my mother wasn't going to therapy and you _knew_ I was lying about it, but instead of confronting me, you just avoided the situation and hoped for the best. Then, when it did finally come up, you insinuated that I was having an affair; therefore - you thought I was having an affair and said nothing." She threw her arms up with confusion. "How could you not say anything?"

"How did that make you feel that Luke didn't confront you?" Dr. Flint asked her, noticing she seemed affected by that.

"Well, I think that's a situation that you don't just ignore, so I was surprised to find out that he knew something was going on but didn't ask me about it." Lorelai shook her head slightly and turned to Luke. "If the roles were reversed, if I thought _you_ were cheating on _me,_ if I thought I was losing you... I would've done something. I wouldn't have just avoided it."

"I didn't _really_ think you were having an affair," Luke told her. He moved closer to her on the couch and placed his hand on her knee. "You don't think I would've said something if I really thought you were doing that? You know me, Lorelai… you know I'd fight for you. You know if I thought another guy was coming anywhere near you, I would go completely nuts."

Lorelai's lips curved into a smile and she gave him a nod. "I know."

"I knew you wouldn't do that," he told her. "All I knew was that something was going on that you didn't want me to know about. Was I curious about why you were lying? Yes. Was the possibility of another guy one of the million thoughts that went through my head about _why_ you were lying? Yes, but it wasn't something I _really_ thought was happening. If I did, I would've said something." He squeezed her knee. "Trust me."

Lorelai nodded understandingly. "Well, I think this is a good example of a time where we mutually failed at communicating."

"Let's talk about it and see how it could've gone differently," Dr. Flint said. "Can someone tell me what happened?"

Lorelai and Luke glanced at each other, and Luke gestured for her to explain the situation. When she was finished, Dr. Flint exhaled a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. "Okay, well, that's definitely a situation where communicating could've helped."

"You see why we rated it a five?" Luke asked.

"At least we're self-aware," Lorelai added. "That's gotta be a good start."

"Okay, let's break this down. Lorelai, why didn't you tell Luke you were still going to therapy on your own?" Dr. Flint asked her. "Was there a specific reason you didn't share that information?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know... I guess I thought he would think it was stupid, or tell me I didn't need it and try to talk me out of it."

"Okay. And Luke, why didn't you tell Lorelai that you'd gone looking at real estate with her mother?" Dr. Flint asked.

Luke shrugged. "Because when I got home and felt her out about therapy, she lied to me and I was mad, so I just didn't mention it. I don't really have a good reason why... I just _didn't_ tell her."

"It was possibly a subconscious revenge type of thing," Dr. Flint commented. "She lied to you, so you kept something from her as a way to get back at her in your head."

Lorelai gasped at Luke and pretended to be offended. "You subconsciously revenged me, how rude."

"Well, is that better or worse than you lying to my face?" Luke countered with a smirk.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "I think we're both lost causes."

"Should we just give up altogether?" Luke asked her.

"Probably," she agreed.

Dr. Flint was watching their interaction, smiling. "You know, I have to say... typically, when a couple is sitting in front of me for the first time, they tend to be reserved, stressed out, sometimes they're arguing or nitpicking each other or placing blame. And here you two are, self-deprecatingly bantering."

Lorelai winced a little. "Ooh, is that a good thing or bad thing? Does it mean you think we're not taking this seriously? We are, I swear!"

"No, that's not what I'm thinking," Dr. Flint assured her. "You both know that you have things that you need to work on, but you're still obviously very comfortable teasing each other. You're relaxed and you're being yourselves, which is refreshing to see in here."

Lorelai gasped happily and tapped Luke on the shoulder. "We're refreshing, like minty gum."

"Yup, I heard him," he confirmed.

"Okay, sorry for that detour, let's get back to the issue at hand," Dr. Flint said. "So, you both realize what you should have done in that situation, right? How could you have handled it differently?"

"I should have told him I was going to therapy alone," Lorelai replied. "I shouldn't have pretended my mother was still going."

"I should have told her that we went to look at franchise locations," Luke replied, and then took a deep breath before adding, "And I should've told her right away that I knew she was lying about therapy. We should've talked it out right then and there."

"Yes, good. Now we need to take those 'should haves' and make those your instincts," Dr. Flint said. "You both seem to use selective communication, but I think you both want to change that now that you're married, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Okay, good. And going hand in hand with that, I'm going to ask you both to stop trying to avoid confrontation."

"You want us to confront each other more?" Lorelai asked, confused.

"Well, when we want to avoid confrontation with a partner, we tend to withhold information or limit what we communicate to them," Dr. Flint explained. "Like how Luke avoided a confrontation with you by not sharing that he knew you were lying to him. If we're going to work on you two having more open communication, you're going to have to be willing to confront each other."

Lorelai nodded understandingly. "I get it."

"It may lead to some uncomfortable discussions, maybe more arguments, but it's always better to talk things out than to hide things from each other," Dr. Flint continued. "Now, I'm going to give you two some homework. Between now and our next appointment, you two are going to tell each other everything… share anything that crosses your minds, tell each other everything you do during the day, who you talked to, what you ate, what you dreamed about at night - as menial as it may sound, share it all. Can you do that for me?"

They nodded their confirmation.

"Now, to do this successfully, you two have to promise each other an open, understanding, judgment-free, safe communication zone," Dr. Flint said. "You need to be able to say anything to each other without fearing what the other's reaction may be. For example, let's say Lorelai shares with Luke that she was thinking about ripping everything out of the kitchen and turning the room into a tiny zoo."

"Wow, that's totally something I would wanna do," Lorelai remarked, her eyes widening with surprise. "How do you know me so well already?"

Dr. Flint smiled and continued, "Now, Luke, you might _instantly_ think that idea is absurd... but try not to react that way. Try not to judge it, make fun of it, or react negatively to it. Instead, I want you to turn it into a discussion... you hear her out, and then you share your own thoughts on it. You create a safe space for one another where you're open to discuss things in a calm manner. And you two may very well already do this, but I want you to be more aware of it now, and make sure you do it all the time, not just some of the time. Because when one partner starts becoming closed off to having open, calm discussions, the other partner will stop trying, and that's when the communication system breaks down again. We don't want that. You both understand?"

Lorelai and Luke nodded.

"Okay, good. So, remember... tell each other everything, listen to each other, ask questions, have calm discussions for whatever topics warrant them, and next time, we'll discuss how you did." Dr. Flint clasped his hands together. "Sound good? You both okay for the same time next week?"

Lorelai shared a glance with Luke and they both nodded. "Yes, we are," she replied.

. . . . .

. . . . .

They were both quiet for the first few minutes of their drive home after their appointment. Finally, Lorelai broke the silence and asked, "So, what do you think?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know... it was a little weird at times."

"Talking about our personal stuff with a stranger?"

"Yeah. I mean, I knew we'd have to, I knew that's what therapy was," Luke replied. "And he was really nice and easy to talk to. It was just weird actually being in there and hearing us talk about things I would never think we'd talk to someone about."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," she agreed, and then hesitantly asked, "Do you think it was a waste of time?"

"No, the opposite actually," he replied, and he looked over at her. "I realized that we need it more than I thought we did."

Lorelai nervously nibbled on her bottom lip. "Are you mad at me about the April stuff?"

"I'm not mad at you, but I'm surprised. I wish you would've told me how you felt."

"I've tried, Luke," Lorelai said softly, and then she glanced out the passenger window. "But I didn't try hard enough. It's always been an uneasy topic for us, so I'd try to bring up my feelings subtly or casually and hope that would work. But it didn't, and I should've pushed for us to have more serious discussions about it."

Luke exhaled a heavy sigh. "No, I should've picked up on how you were feeling."

Lorelai looked over at him and rested her hand on his arm. "Listen, I think we should put this topic on hold for now. Dr. Flint said he wants to talk about it with us eventually, so instead of us talking about it now and then rehashing it for him in a week or two, let's just wait to talk it out fresh with him. Who knows, that might be just what we need."

Luke nodded in agreement. "Okay, good idea. We'll focus on the communicating."

"Yeah, that 'telling each other everything' thing," Lorelai said. "That'll be interesting."

"Different."

"Could be fun, though," Lorelai said. "I can't wait to hear about the hours and hours you spend each day thinking about me in salacious ways."

Luke looked over at her with a smirk. "Yeah, back at ya."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next night, Lorelai arrived home from work and dropped her purse on the desk. "Something smells good," she said as she headed toward the kitchen.

"It's almost ready," Luke said from the stove. "You wanna grab some wine?"

Lorelai poured glasses of wine and they sat down at the table for dinner. "How was your day?" she asked as she cut into a piece of chicken.

Luke shrugged as he chewed his mouthful of food. "Not bad."

"Luke," she prompted him, gesturing for him to talk more.

"Oh, right," he muttered, then glanced toward the ceiling and thought about more details from his day. "Uh, I had a dairy delivery this morning… milk, cream, cheese."

"To fulfill your basic diner dairy needs," Lorelai said with a nod.

"Yup." Luke said. "Uh, let's see... had a protein shake for breakfast, chicken salad sandwich for lunch."

"Rye bread?"

"Potato roll," he confirmed.

Lorelai nodded her approval at that choice. "Very nice."

"I ran to Doose's during the afternoon lull to pick up some things we needed here... replenished your Pop Tarts and marshmallows."

"Much appreciated."

"Oh, and Dewey came in with his mom for dinner… he ordered mozzarella sticks as the cheese on his cheeseburger. "

Lorelai grinned proudly. "I've trained him well."

Luke smiled. "Yeah, his mom didn't seem too enthused by it."

Lorelai shrugged it off. "She'll thank me one day."

"For her kid's diabetes?"

Lorelai giggled. "For exposing him to different interesting cuisines." She sipped her glass of wine. "Anything else going on?"

"I was thinking we need to lock down what we're doing for Thanksgiving," Luke said. "It's next week already... are we sticking with the usual routine?"

"Well, Mom had said we're welcome in Nantucket, but I didn't give her an answer," Lorelai replied.

"We can go if you want to."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "That would mean we'd be spending both Thanksgiving and Christmas there… that might be a bit much. And by a bit much, I mean, it literally might kill me."

Luke smirked. "Well, the usual routine it is, then." He took a few bites of his meal, then nodded toward her. "So, your turn… how was your day?"

"It was good," Lorelai confirmed. "Michel and I met with Tom at the annex to start discussing our plans for the spa."

"Oh, right, how'd that go?"

Lorelai smiled. "Really good. I think it's gonna be amazing when it's done."

"I bet it will be," Luke agreed. "How long is it gonna take?"

"Couple months, at least," Lorelai said. "Michel is really excited, he's got all sorts of ideas about how he wants things set up, so I'm just letting him go with it."

"Good. When Michel's happy, you're happy."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "And when Michel's not happy, everyone in a two-mile radius ups their anxiety meds." She ate a forkful of rice and chewed it slowly. "So, let's see… besides that successful outing, I also met with a potential temporary chef candidate who I wouldn't trust to cook for Paul Anka, texted with Rory a little - everything's fine there, impulsively bought a bright pink phone charger from Amazon, and contemplated if I maybe want to do something to my hair."

"Are you thinking about just a cut, or is this more like the 'I should reinvent myself by completely transforming my hair' epiphany of 2011?" he asked her.

"I think maybe just a cut for now." Lorelai ran her fingers through her hair and held out the ends in front of her face. "But we'll see how it goes. I might become inspired mid-cut to do something else."

Luke nodded. "Mid-cut inspiration hits me a lot, too."

Lorelai smiled and focused on eating her food for a few moments, and then suddenly lifted her head. "Oh, and I forgot to mention... I stopped at Sissy's and found the perfect dress for your birthday dinner this weekend."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Mmhmm. Seriously, the level of hotness that I reach in this dress may make you so awestruck that you are just knocked unconscious, that's how amazing I look."

Luke smirked and nodded approvingly. "Looking forward to that."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The following week, their second therapy session started with a discussion of how they'd been doing with their communicating. It was new territory for them to be sharing so much, but it had only taken them a few days to get used to doing it, and they both enjoyed the longer conversations they were having each day. Dr. Flint commended them for their successful first week and advised them to keep at it on a daily basis.

After that discussion, Dr. Flint suggested that they delve into the reason for their one-year sabbatical. They explained to him the details of April's arrival into their lives, how the situation initially unfolded, how Lorelai held back her feelings about Luke keeping her and April apart, and the events of what they referred to as 'ultimatum night'.

They went on to explain that when they reconciled nine years ago, they sat down and discussed the situation thoroughly. They shared apologies and suggestions about how things could have gone differently, and Lorelai was insistent that if they were getting back together, she needed Luke to let her get to know April.

He'd complied with that request, and Lorelai and April were able to develop a relationship over the years. However, when it came to giving parental guidance or providing for her in any way, Lorelai's offers to help would often fall on defensive ears.

"Last week, you said that you're not as satisfied with this situation as you think you could be," Dr. Flint said. "Why does it still feel unsatisfying?"

After pondering for a few moments, Lorelai took a deep breath and finally responded, "I guess because even though he was okay with us interacting and having a relationship, he still only wanted to be solely responsible for April himself… if she needed money for something, it had to come from him. If she had a problem, he didn't really want my input into it, things like that."

"That's because she's _my_ daughter," Luke interjected. "I don't want you to have to deal with that stuff."

"Luke, let's let her finish her thoughts," Dr. Flint calmly said. "And then we'll give you a chance to respond and talk it out."

"Oh, sorry," Luke mumbled to Lorelai, looking as if he'd just been scolded by a teacher.

"It's okay." Lorelai shrugged as she continued, "I know she's his daughter and is his responsibility, but sometimes I wish I could've had the relationship with her that Luke has with _my_ daughter. He's always been a father figure to her, even before we got together. And I like to talk out her problems with him and ask for his input because I trust his judgment and I know how much he cares about her." Lorelai glanced over at Luke. "So, while I'm glad that you did finally let me into her life, I feel like there's still a little room for even more involvement, that's all."

Luke nodded understandingly and started to talk to her, then looked at the therapist. "Can I respond?"

Dr Flint smiled and nodded. "Yes."

Luke turned back to Lorelai. "You have so much going on with the inn and with Rory and your mother, I just thought it was easier for certain things to be kept separate. Yes, I want you to be a part of her life, I'm happy that you guys get along so well, but I never wanted to bother you with her problems or have you use your hard-earned money on her. That's _my_ responsibility."

"But Luke…" Lorelai softly said. "I _want_ to do those things, I want to be more involved. I want us to use _our_ money on _our_ daughters equally… they're our responsibility together, even if they're adults now. And I want you to talk to me about her problems because she's family and I want to know what's going on and try to help, if I can. You might think you're making it easier for me by keeping those things to yourself, but it just makes me feel frustrated and isolated and... well, sad."

As they went back and forth sharing their feelings on the situation, Dr. Flint observed, made notes, and calmly facilitated as needed.

When they were done hashing it out on their own, Dr. Flint declared, "Okay, well, what I'm hearing is that Lorelai wants to feel like her input is welcome when Luke is dealing with a situation that affects April. And Luke, you seem to be open to that. Is that correct?"

They both nodded.

"Now, you've mentioned that you're in the process of combining your personal funds into one central account, so that's obviously going to help solve the issue of allowing Lorelai to be more involved financially," Dr. Flint continued. "In those situations, though, it's even more important to maintain the open communication that we're working on, since it will be joint funds. For instance, if April asks to borrow money that you would be pulling from your joint account, obviously you'll want to explain the situation to Lorelai so that she's aware and you can discuss it. And that's not a rule that's just specific to April... I don't recommend pulling large sums of money out of a joint account for any reason without first discussing it with your partner."

Luke looked pensive for a few moments, then he swallowed hard and hesitantly asked, "Can I ask a question?"

"Of course," Dr. Flint replied.

Luke took a deep breath. "What if she says no?"

"I'm sorry?" Dr. Flint replied. "What if who says no?"

Luke glanced over at Lorelai, then back to Dr. Flint. "What if April needs money for something and I tell Lorelai about it, and Lorelai decides she doesn't want me to use our money for that? What would we do then?"

Surprised, Lorelai frowned and cocked her head to the side. "I'm not gonna say no, Luke," she insisted. "You're responsible, and I'm going to trust that if you want us to give money to someone - anyone, not just April - that you've thought it out and it's for an important reason and you know what we can and can't afford. Just like you would trust me the same way, right?"

"Right," Luke replied.

"And even if you do come to me saying you want to withdraw a ridiculous amount of money for a purpose that I think sounds unreasonable, then we'll talk it out. I'm not just gonna say no and walk away from the discussion without listening to you explain why you think it's important. You'll listen to my reasoning and I'll listen to yours and we'll figure something out."

Luke nodded. "Okay." He exhaled a quick sigh. "I just know that a lot of couples fight over money issues, and that was one thing we never had to worry about before, so... this is new for us."

"I know, but we'll get used to this new joint process, and any bridges we need to cross, we'll talk out and cross together."

Dr. Flint nodded. "Very good, that's what I like to hear. You two are a partnership. If you disagree about something, no matter how big or small, it's up to you two to discuss it and share your feelings about the situation and come to some sort of compromise. It won't always be easy, but some of the most troubled marriages I see are because one or both partners are completely unwilling to compromise. You two seem like you have a willingness to compromise with each other, which is good."

Lorelai glanced over at Luke. "Well, we both have some stubbornness in us, but we've definitely gotten better at learning to give and take a little."

Luke nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we've learned over the years to pick and choose our battles, and we've both gotten more flexible."

"Good, that's very good," Dr. Flint told them. "So, let's sum up the discussion and focus on our takeaways here. Luke, you're going to start to involve Lorelai more in April-related discussions as they come up. Big or small, just keep her in the loop as to what's going on, ask for her opinion on things. Remember that Lorelai is April's stepmother now and should feel included as such."

Luke nodded. "Okay. I mean, those types of things don't come up a lot, but when they do... I'll include her."

"Good. And Lorelai, we're not going to judge the progress of this situation on whether or not you were able to give influence on something, we're going to judge it on whether you were included in it at all. Make sense?"

Lorelai thought it over for a moment. "So, if he comes and asks my advice on something, that's considered a success whether he actually takes the advice or not."

Dr. Flint smiled and nodded. "Exactly. He doesn't have to agree with your opinions, he doesn't have to take your suggestions, but the fact that he is coming and talking to you and involving you is the key."

Lorelai nodded understandingly. "Got it." She looked over at Luke. "That's all I'm really asking for... I just want to feel included."

Luke nodded. "I get that now. You will be."

Lorelai smiled. "Good. Thank you."

Dr. Flint checked his watch. "We're almost out of time, but I think you had a good discussion about this topic today. How do you two feel about it?"

"Really good," Lorelai replied, and she turned to speak directly to Luke. "That was probably the first chat we've had about this subject that I didn't hold anything back. I said what I wanted to say, and I feel like you get where I'm coming from."

"I do," he assured her.

"Which makes me realize that I should've just spoken up about it earlier," she concluded. "I can't expect you to know what's bothering me unless I tell you. I need to be upfront about it and not let things linger."

"And I think I probably need to be more open to talking about things so you don't feel like you have to hold things back," Luke replied. "Because I don't want you to let things linger. If you're not happy, I wanna know why, no matter what it is."

"That's something that your new communication plan is going to really help with, if you stick with it," Dr. Flint commented. "If you're talking about things on a daily basis, and keeping each other in the loop of what you're feeling and thinking, it's going to prevent issues from building up. You'll nip them in the bud, as they say. We don't want another situation like this where you're still trying to solve an issue that's been hanging around for years because you can't quite figure out how to talk it out, right? So, you need to talk to each other openly and honestly every single day about what's on your mind - it's as simple as that. Just talk and listen every day."

Luke and Lorelai both nodded in agreement. "We will," she said.

"Definitely," Luke added.

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Officially Married - Chapter 4**

. . . . .

. . . . .

On the evening of November 30th, Lorelai was sitting on the couch watching a movie, and she instantly muted the television when she heard the front door open. She glanced toward the foyer and smiled warmly when she saw Luke walk in.

"Hey," she greeted him. "You doing okay?"

Luke nodded as he closed the door behind him. "Yeah, I'm okay."

It was his annual dark day, and she hadn't heard from him, expectedly, since he'd left the house early that morning. As was his usual routine, he'd gone off to spend the day alone, driving or fishing or doing whatever other solitary activities he decided to occupy himself with.

Luke hung up his coat, then walked over and sat next to her on the couch. She took off his hat and started gently stroking the back of his hair and neck. "Do you wanna talk about your day?" she asked softly.

"Eh, not much to tell. I did a lot of driving, visited the grave for awhile, grabbed a wrap from a deli in Woodbury for lunch, then went to that big pond we've gone to a few times... you know the one."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty there."

"Yeah. I was there for an hour or two, just hanging out by the water."

"Did you do any fishing?" she asked, knowing he'd thrown his pole and supplies into his truck before he left that morning.

"No. I was going to, but then when I got there, I didn't feel like it. Just kind of wanted to sit and close my eyes and let my mind go blank."

Lorelai nodded understandingly, her fingers still gently stroking his hair.

Luke placed his hand on her knee and began rubbing his thumb against it. "Tell me about your day."

"Let's see... my day... nothing too exciting," she replied. "I texted with Rory, she's feeling okay. She's been working on the book, and said that she's making good progress."

"Good."

"And the inn's at full capacity, so all's good there," Lorelai replied. "Oh, but Michel thinks he's getting a cold, so…"

"So, he's acting like the world's coming to an end," Luke finished.

"Pretty much," she replied. "I started a Christmas list of people we need to buy for. I texted Liz to see what we can get for Doula, and she gave me a couple of suggestions."

"Okay, good."

"Did you eat dinner? There's leftover pizza and salad in the kitchen. Want me to make you a plate?"

"Maybe in a little bit."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay." She traced circles on his hand as it continued to caress her knee, and then remembered she had one more thing to discuss with him. "Oh, so… I got an email from my mom today. Do you feel like talking about Christmas in Nantucket?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "Or you wanna save that for a day that's _not_ already clouded in darkness?"

Luke smirked. "We can talk about it now."

Lorelai turned to face him on the couch, crisscrossing her legs in front of her. "Okay, well… she wants us there from Christmas Eve through New Year's Eve," she said, grimacing slightly as she quickly added, "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."

"It's fine," he assured her. "It's a small price to pay for you to expand the inn. I know that's a big deal for you right now."

"The good news is that the house next door should be ready for us by then," Lorelai told him. "She's almost done redecorating it, and she's fencing in the back yard for Paul Anka."

"What about Rory?"

Lorelai nodded. "Sure, she can use the fenced-in yard if she wants."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I meant, is she gonna go for the week, too?"

"I doubt it," she replied. "Probably just for Christmas. A week is a long time to be under the watchful eye of Emily Gilmore and try to keep her secret."

"When is she gonna tell her?"

Lorelai shrugged with uncertainty. "I have no idea. She's being very selective with who she tells, and this is _her_ news to share, so we just have to keep quiet for now."

Luke nodded understandingly. "I will. I haven't said a word to anyone. She's still writing at your parents' place?"

"Yeah, she said it's quiet and it inspires her," Lorelai said, and then added a confused shrug. "Which… I guess for her makes sense, she doesn't exactly have all the same memories that I have of that house. I don't know that I'd get the same inspiration there that she's getting."

"And you haven't seen any of what she's written yet?" Luke asked.

"Nope. We just have to hope that I come across as likeable, or your wife's going to have to go into hiding."

"What could she possibly say that would make you sound _unlikeable_? You've done everything in your power to give that girl an amazing life."

Lorelai shrugged again. "I don't know. Maybe as she's writing about her life and analyzing things that have happened over the years, she's having this epiphany that the decisions I made weren't always the greatest and now she resents me for the way I raised her. Maybe she's not painting me out to be the super cool mom, maybe I'm some sort of villain."

 _"Lorelai."_ He said her name in that tone that told her that he thought she was being ridiculous. "You know that's not true… that girl loves you more than anything, she's not going to write anything bad about you. You're not the villain in her life, you're the hero."

Lorelai smiled. "That's sweet. I hope you're right."

"Trust me, I'm right." Luke patted her leg, then nodded toward her empty wine glass on the coffee table. "Want some more wine? I'm gonna go get a glass."

"Yeah. We need to start building up our daily alcohol tolerance. It'll make the Nantucket Christmas Vacation of 2016 easier to get through."

Luke smiled and grabbed her glass, and they headed to the kitchen together.

. . . . .

. . . . .

It was early in the afternoon on Christmas Eve when Luke, Lorelai, and Rory arrived in Nantucket with Paul Anka. They stopped by to see Emily at her house, who took them over to the house next door and left them to get settled in before dinner.

The house was decorated for the holidays with lights and wreaths and multiple Christmas trees. Luke brought the suitcases to the bedrooms as Lorelai and Rory went to check out the kitchen.

Lorelai's eyes immediately landed on the coffee maker on the counter. "Oh, thank God."

As Lorelai started looking through the cabinets, Rory pulled open the refrigerator. "The fridge is stocked with food," Rory said.

"Cabinets are, too," Lorelai confirmed, then joined Rory at the fridge. "Mom asked for suggestions of food we'd want for the week… check the freezer, make sure she got the ice cream."

They pulled open the freezer, and Lorelai smiled at the two containers of ice cream. "Good. I might survive this week without you after all."

Rory smiled as she shut the freezer door. "You'll be fine."

"Are you sure you don't wanna stay a few extra days?" Lorelai asked.

"I really wanna get back to writing, and I'll be too distracted here," Rory said. "You'll have Luke with you the entire time, and you have a whole house of your own to hide in."

"Within walking distance, though," Lorelai reminded her. "There's no buffer zone."

Rory patted her on the shoulder and repeated, "You'll be fine."

Paul Anka was nudging his nose at the back door, and Lorelai openned it for him. "Go ahead... go mark your territory, bud." Paul Anka hesitantly walked outside, then turned his head to look back at her. "Okay, fine, I'll stand out there with you until you get used to the new space."

Lorelai and Rory followed Paul Anka out into the yard and watched him roam the grounds for a few minutes. When they came back in, Rory went to take a nap in her bedroom, and Lorelai headed up to the master bedroom where Luke had started unpacking the suitcases.

"I am happy to confirm that there's a coffee maker," she announced. "And the fridge and cabinets are stocked with food and wine and hard liquor."

"So we've got all the essentials, good," Luke replied, then handed her the bag of toiletries. "Can you throw this in the bathroom?"

Lorelai took the bag from him and carried it into the master bathroom, and Luke heard her gasp with delight. "Whoa! Did you see the tub in here? We can both fit at the same time!"

Luke was smiling as he walked into the bathroom. "Yes, and I knew you would say that."

Lorelai smiled. "What can I say, I love a tub built for two. Did you see that there are massaging jets?" she asked him excitedly.

"Yup."

"Okay, so, tonight after Christmas Eve dinner, you and me and a bottle of wine in a massaging bubble bath?" Lorelai suggested.

Luke smiled. "It's a date." He leaned in to kiss her, and then added, "Bath only… no funny business with Rory in the house, though."

Lorelai wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. "Fine. We'll refrain from dirtiness until she heads home."

"Thank you." He kissed her again before they separated, then asked, "Where is she now?"

"She's taking a quick nap before dinner," Lorelai replied as she started to unpack the toiletries on the counter.

"She feeling okay?"

"Yeah, she's just tired," she replied. "A few hours of travel will do that to you."

"Right. But she's taking her vitamins and stuff, right?"

Lorelai glanced over at him, smiling at his concern, and she shrugged. "I would assume so."

"You haven't asked?"

Lorelai's smile widened. "She's 33, Luke, so no, I haven't asked if she's been taking her vitamins, but if you'd like to, go right ahead."

Luke considered it for a moment, then waved it off. "Nah, I guess we shouldn't baby her like that, right?"

"Probably not," Lorelai agreed, then she reached out and gently caressed his cheek. "But I love that you're always gonna think of her as our little girl, no matter how old she gets."

"Hard not to," he replied.

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it."

. . . . .

. . . . .

That night, everyone gathered at Emily's house for Christmas Eve dinner. As they sat around the dining room table eating their salads, Emily said, "So, Rory, I've gotten a couple of offers on the house, but I've been turning them down because I know you've been working on your writing project there."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Grandma," Rory replied. "I didn't expect it to be on the market for long, it's a great house. You should take whichever offer you want, I'll get out of there as soon as you need me to."

"Do you have somewhere else to go?" Emily asked her. "I don't want to leave you stranded."

"She can stay with us if she needs to," Lorelai said. "Open invitation, she knows that."

"Or she could stay in my old apartment over the diner," Luke added.

"Yeah, there are options," Lorelai said. "We won't let her be homeless, we promise."

"I can just take the house off the market altogether and you can live there permanently," Emily offered. "I don't mind."

"Grandma, no, really, that's too much," Rory said, shaking her head. "I love the house, but I don't need something that big for myself."

"Well, if you want, you can come stay in the Sand Dollar," Emily said.

"The Sand Dollar?" Lorelai asked.

"That's what I named the house you're staying in," Emily replied. "And it'll be empty once you and Luke leave on the 1st, if Rory needs a place to stay." She smiled at Rory. "It would be nice to have you so close."

"Oh, yeah, well... that would be nice if we were, uh, neighbors, Grandma," Rory replied. "I'll keep that option in mind, thanks."

Luke's eyes widened. "You'd move all the way out here? But it's so far from everything… us, your friends, your doctor."

Rory and Lorelai froze as Emily looked at Luke confusingly. "Her doctor?" Emily asked, then turned to Rory. "Are you sick?"

"No, but if she _does_ get sick, she should be close to her own doctor," Luke quickly tried to salvage his slip-up. "And what if she cracks a tooth or something? She'll need her dentist. Those are important people you'd want to have nearby."

"They have doctors and dentists here in Nantucket, too, Luke," Emily told him. "People move all the time, and they get new doctors and dentists. Not everyone stays in the town they were born in for the rest of their lives."

"Right, I know, but - " Luke started, and when Lorelai suddenly cleared her throat, he stopped talking mid-sentence.

"Let's let Rory think about where she wants to live and what she wants to do, and not put her on the spot at Christmas Eve dinner, okay?" Lorelai suggested, and Rory gave her an appreciative smile.

"I'll think about it and let you know, Grandma," Rory told Emily. "Thanks again for the offer."

. . . . .

. . . . .

"I'm so sorry," Luke said to Rory the moment they were back at the guest house later that evening. "I didn't mean to say anything, it just slipped out."

"I know," Rory nodded understandingly. "It's okay, you recovered quickly."

"And Mom didn't seem too phased by it," Lorelai added.

"I still feel awful," Luke said with a sigh. "I just… the thought of you living all the way out here, that was kind of a shock, I'm sorry."

"You were just being polite, right?" Lorelai hesitantly asked Rory. "When you said you would think about it?"

"Yeah, I don't think I could live out here full time," Rory replied. "But it _was_ nice of her to offer up this place."

"It was," Lorelai agreed. "And for her to offer up the Hartford house. Someone was in a giving mood tonight. Well, towards _you_ anyway... not to Luke and I. She could've at least offered us a helicopter or something."

Rory took a deep breath and glanced back and forth between the two of them. "So… what do you think about me telling her the news tomorrow?"

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Really? I thought you were gonna try to keep it hush for a little longer."

"I know, I wasn't planning on doing it yet, but I realized that I don't know when I'll see her next, and this is something I should tell her in person. If I don't end up seeing her for a few months, then she'll get upset I waited so long to tell her, and..." Rory's voice trailed off and then she sighed. "I don't know, maybe it's better to just get it out of the way while I'm here. I don't know why I was waiting anyway."

"Because it's easier to keep things from her than to field all the questions she'll have," Lorelai replied knowingly. "Trust me, I get it."

"Yeah, I guess just saying 'Grandma, I'm pregnant' without undergoing the third degree isn't an option here. She'll want details."

"I can think of one detail she'll want for sure," Lorelai said, then nervously nibbled on her bottom lip. "Are you gonna tell her who the father is?"

Rory covered her face with her hands and shook her head with uncertainty. "I have no idea," she muttered. "Maybe this isn't a good idea."

Luke reached out and comfortingly squeezed Rory's shoulder. "It'll be okay. We'll be there for support."

"Yes, we will," Lorelai agreed, and then added, "If you want us to be. But if you'd rather do it alone, we'll make ourselves scarce. It's up to you… whatever you want."

Rory exhaled a deep sigh and pondered for a moment. "I'll sleep on it and let you guys know."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next morning, Luke woke up before Lorelai, quietly got dressed, and went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee for her. He found Rory sitting at the kitchen table in her pajamas eating a bowl of cereal.

"Oh, hey," Luke greeted her. "Didn't think you'd be up yet."

"Morning, Luke," she replied. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," he replied, then sat down across from her. "You sleep okay?"

Rory shrugged a little. "Not really."

"Because you're not feeling well or because you've got things on your mind?" he asked her.

"Mind," Rory replied. "Always something on my mind. I would love to have a few minutes of _not_ having something on my mind."

"I can imagine," Luke said. "You wanna talk?"

Rory distractedly stirred her spoon in her bowl of Lucky Charms. "I'm nervous about telling Grandma," she told him. "I'm worried that she's gonna be..." She paused a moment as she searched for the right word.

"Disappointed?" Luke supplied.

"Yeah. We know how she reacted to Mom getting pregnant."

"It's a very different situation," Luke pointed out. "You're an adult."

"An adult with no home and no income and no significant other, who got pregnant when she was knowingly being the _other woman_ ," Rory added, and then she winced a little, unsure if he actually was aware of that last detail. "Did you know that?"

"All your mom said is that Logan's the father, and that he's engaged to someone else," Luke replied.

Rory nodded. "Yeah. Well, let's just say, it wasn't a one-time thing. So, overall, this situation is probably way more disappointing than a teenager accidentally getting pregnant by her boyfriend." She shook her head slightly. "Ugh, I screwed up big time."

"Hey, what does your mom always say? Life is always gonna throw unexpected stuff at you, but it's how you deal with it that really matters." Luke reached across the table and patted her arm. "So, don't focus on the past... focus on how you're going to deal with things going forward."

"I'm trying."

"You'll figure it out." Luke gestured toward the fridge. "You want some juice?"

Rory nodded, and Luke poured two glasses of orange juice and sat back down at the table.

"Can I ask you a question?" Luke asked.

Rory nodded as she took a sip of her juice. "Yeah."

Luke felt a little weird bringing it up, but he couldn't help himself... he had to know. "Are you gonna tell Logan about the pregnancy?"

Rory inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Wow, that's quite a question for early Christmas morning, Luke."

"I know, I'm sorry, you don't have to answer it," he quickly replied. "I've just been wondering what your plan for that was."

Rory shrugged. "I don't really have one yet."

Luke nodded understandingly. "Got it." He took a sip of his juice before adding, "Can I give you a little perspective on the topic? You know, from a guy's point of view?"

"Yeah, sure."

"So, the way I look at it, you have two examples of this type of situation right in front of you," Luke started. "You have your mom, who got pregnant and told your dad, and gave him the chance to decide how involved he wanted to be with _you_ , even if he wasn't involved with _her_." Luke paused a moment before murmuring, "And we all know what his decision was."

"Yes, we do."

"And then we have April's mom, who found out she was pregnant after we broke up, decided not to tell me because she thought I didn't want kids, and didn't give me that option to decide if I wanted to be involved, if I wanted to see my kid grow up." Luke took a deep breath and shook his head slightly. "And I gotta tell you, Rory… I don't think I'll ever forgive her for that. It wasn't fair."

Rory frowned sympathetically. "I know."

"I felt angry and frustrated and resentful and confused, and it was awful realizing what I'd missed out on. I just think that even if you and him aren't together, even if you don't want anything from him at all, even if you think he doesn't want to be involved and you think you're doing him some sort of favor by not telling him, he still deserves to know what's going on," Luke told her. "He deserves the chance to decide how involved he wants to be. You realize that's the right thing to do, I know you do."

Rory nodded. "I do, I get it."

Luke stared at her for a moment, noticing she still looked torn. "But…?"

"But it's different," Rory said with a sigh. "He's with someone else, he lives in London, he has a whole other life going on… I don't want to turn it upside down, especially if I don't want anything from him or need him to be involved."

"You're not turning it upside down," Luke replied.

"When you found out about April, it turned _your_ life upside down," Rory reminded him. "You and Mom broke up, remember?"

Luke sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, I remember. But that's because it wasn't handled right. We both didn't communicate about the situation very well... I pushed her away, she kept her feelings inside... we both share the blame for how it all played out. "

"And it wasn't even like you cheated on Mom and had a kid with someone else, it was something that had happened twelve years before," Rory pointed out. "But if Logan tells his fiancée about it, she'll know he cheated, and it _will_ turn his life upside down. There's no way around that."

Luke sighed. "Okay, yeah, I mean, it might turn it a _little_ upside down, but that's up to him to decide. You're just giving him information and he decides what to do with it. Maybe he won't want to be involved at all… maybe his life won't change one bit, who knows? Or maybe he'll tell her and she'll understand and forgive him, and it won't be an issue. Or maybe he _wants_ his life to be different, and this will be the motivation for him to wake up and change it. You have no idea how it might play out, but it's a conversation you should at least have with him."

Rory contemplatively stared down into her cereal bowl, pushing the cereal around with her spoon.

Luke took a sip of his juice, then cleared his throat. "I guess, the basic gist is that you were both involved in the cause, I think you should both know about the effect. I don't want him to find out in a year, or five years, or ten years, and then resent you for the rest of your life. It's just better to be honest about things up front."

Rory looked up from her bowl and nodded. "I know, I see your point, I just… I need to think about it some more, okay?"

Luke nodded understandingly. "Got it, end of discussion. I just wanted to put my thoughts on it out there, that's all. I wanted you to hear from someone who's been there."

"Thank you, it's good to have that insight," Rory said sincerely. "I appreciate it."

Luke nodded. "Sure."

"Merry Christmas," Lorelai's voice cheerfully greeted them as she walked into the kitchen with Paul Anka.

Luke was startled and he turned around to look at her. "Merry Christmas." He stood up to greet her with a kiss.

"Hey, Mom… Merry Christmas," Rory said.

"You guys been up long?" Lorelai asked.

"Not really," Rory replied. "Twenty minutes or so."

"Oh, shoot, I meant to put a pot of coffee on for you," Luke said as he walked over to the counter. "I'll do it now."

"Thanks, hon," Lorelai replied. She opened the back door to let Paul Anka into the back yard.

"I'm gonna go shower," Rory said as she stood up from the table. "What time are we going over to Grandma's?"

"Eleven," Lorelai replied.

"Okay." Rory placed her dishes in the sink, and then walked out of the kitchen.

When she was gone, Lorelai walked over to Luke at the coffee maker and lightly swatted him on the arm. "I can't believe you!" she whispered.

Surprised, Luke turned to look at her. "What?"

"I overheard the end of that conversation… really, Christmas morning?" Lorelai hissed. "You thought that would be a good topic to randomly bring up on Christmas morning?"

"It wasn't out of the blue, we were talking about her telling your mom, and then I asked if she was going to tell Logan."

"Luke, come on," Lorelai said with a sigh. "You know she's already stressed out about telling my mother. Just let her focus on one traumatic reveal at a time, okay?"

"Okay, sorry," Luke told her. "I said what I wanted to say, I gave her my perspective, I won't bring it up again."

"Thank you." Lorelai glanced back toward the doorway to make sure they were still alone, then back to Luke. "Well, so, how did she respond?"

Luke shrugged. "She seems to know what she _should_ do, but I'm still not sure which way she's leaning."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay, well… it's up to her to decide."

"I know."

"I'm serious, you can't get into some big argument with her about this and then she hates us both and decides to move to Nantucket with my mother," Lorelai told her. "I know you have strong feelings about this particular topic, but we have to tiptoe around it."

" _I get it_ ," Luke told her firmly. "I'm not going to press it with her. And there was no arguing, it was just a friendly chat."

Lorelai sighed and let her head fall forward. "Sorry, I'm just… I'm nervous about her telling Mom today, too."

Luke pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "It'll be okay."

Lorelai lay her head against his chest as she hugged him. "My mom's gonna blame me."

"For what, Lorelai? For your daughter getting pregnant in not-ideal circumstances?" Luke asked. "You mean, like that time _her_ daughter got pregnant in not-ideal circumstances? If she throws this in your face, you throw it right back at her. In fact, I'll throw it back at her myself if she tries to attack _you_ for this."

Lorelai lifted her head to look at him, a small smile on her lips. "Nothing like a full-fledged family battle on Christmas morning to really get in the holiday spirit."

Luke smiled. "We'll be on the defensive only… we won't strike unless provoked." Lorelai nodded in agreement, and he kissed her. "Sit down, I'll make you some pancakes."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few hours later at Emily's house, presents had been exchanged, lunch had been eaten, and the girls were sitting around the dining room table finishing dessert. Luke had just excused himself to go check on Paul Anka next door, and during a lull in the conversation, Rory decided it was time to share her news with Emily.

"So, Grandma…" Rory started, and then gave Lorelai a quick look indicating she was about to do it. Lorelai placed her fork down and sat up straight in her chair as her heart started racing nervously.

"Yes, Rory?" Emily replied.

"Um, I just wanted you to know that… I'm pregnant," Rory said quickly, deciding to do it fast like ripping off a BandAid. She gritted her teeth and braced herself for Emily's reaction.

Emily looked from Rory to Lorelai, then back to Rory before she calmly replied, "I know."

Lorelai's and Rory's eyes simultaneously widened with surprise.

"You… you know?" Rory stammered. "How did you know?"

"How could you possibly have known?" Lorelai asked.

"You girls think I don't pay any attention, that just because I don't point something out, I don't see it," Emily replied. "I noticed Rory kept turning down drinks and coffee at the wedding last month, and the few times I've seen her since then, she always had an excuse as to why she didn't want a drink… I put two and two together."

"Maybe she was deciding to be sober for her health, Mom," Lorelai said. "Ever think of that?"

"Then she would've said that and not made up generic excuses," Emily replied, then looked at Rory. "I was waiting to see how long it would take you to tell me yourself. When are you due?"

"July," Rory replied.

"Does this mean you'll be settling down with that boyfriend of yours?" Emily asked. "What's his name, Paul?"

Rory's eyes widened a little. "Whoa, you know his name? No one knows his name."

"Mom's just full of surprises today," Lorelai commented.

"And, uh, no, won't be settling down with Paul," Rory told her. "We actually… broke up."

"You broke up," Emily repeated. "Does he know about the baby?"

"He does not," Rory replied, and after a pause, she hesitantly added, "Because it's not his."

There was a moment of silence in the room as the girls stared at Emily at the head of the table. She put her fork down, picked up her napkin, wiped her lips, then placed it on the table beside her plate.

"So, you were in a relationship with this man Paul for several years, broke up with him, and now you're pregnant with another man's baby?"

Rory nodded. "Pretty much."

"Berta, more wine in here, please," Emily called toward the kitchen. "Immediately."

"Mom, before you say anything, just remember that Rory is an adult," Lorelai said. "And you should treat her as an adult, and not like you're her mother and she's a pregnant teenager, which is probably the instinct that you're having right now."

Berta entered the dining room and refilled the wine glasses, then disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Grandma, I'll tell you who the father is," Rory told her. "But I need you to promise that you won't repeat the information to anyone else."

Emily looked at her with confusion. "What? What kind of request is that? Who would I tell?"

"Anyone in your social circle," Rory replied. "You can't tell any of your friends or it may get back to the father."

"My social circle?" Emily asked. "The father is in my social circle?"

"Yes. You know him."

"I know him?" Emily asked, her eyes narrowing. "Who is it?"

Rory glanced at Lorelai, and then down at her plate of pie. "Um… Logan Huntzberger."

Emily's face was blank for a moment, and then a small tinge of a smile appeared on her lips. "Well, I'll be. I had no idea you two had gotten back together. Last I'd heard, he was engaged to a French woman."

"We're not actually… together, Grandma," Rory told her. "It was… we were… we had a… it was just a…"

"It was a brief encounter," Lorelai supplied. "But they're not a couple. He's, um… back with the French woman now."

Emily's face tightened and she shook her head in disgust. "Typical Huntzberger, flocking from one woman to the next without any concern for their feelings."

"Well, Grandma, that's not - " Rory started.

"I don't think we really need to talk about all the details," Lorelai interrupted, giving Rory a look to convey that she'd given Emily enough information. "But the point is, Rory is still figuring things out and hasn't had a chance to tell him, so it's important that you don't say anything."

"Well, of course I won't say anything," Emily replied.

"Thanks, Grandma," Rory said.

"Thank you for finally telling me," Emily told her. "So, I guess this makes figuring out your living situation a little more urgent. I mean, you certainly can't continue jumping from house to house with a baby in tow. You need something permanent."

"Yeah, I know, I'll find something," Rory said.

"She'll get there, Mom," Lorelai said. "Give her time."

"Well, you know if you need any help with money, you can ask me," Emily said to Rory.

"I know, thank you," Rory said sincerely. "I'll let you know."

There was silence for a few moments as they picked at their desserts. Luke walked into the dining room and sat back down at the table next to Lorelai.

"How is he?" Lorelai asked.

"Good. He went out, I fed him, filled up his water bowl," Luke replied. "He's still wearing the Santa hat."

Lorelai smiled. "My boy loves dressing up, what can I say?"

"What'd I miss here?" Luke asked.

"A Christmas carol singalong and an assortment of reindeer games," Lorelai replied. "Oh, and Rory told Mom her big news."

Luke's eyes widened. "Really?" He glanced nervously from Lorelai to Rory to Emily. "And everything's…"

"Good, everything's good," Lorelai said.

Emily was leaning back in her chair holding her wine glass, staring straight ahead, deep in thought.

Luke leaned closer to Lorelai and whispered, "She knows about the pregnancy?"

"Yes, she knows," Lorelai whispered back.

"Why does she look so calm?" Luke whispered.

Lorelai shrugged. "I have no idea."

Luke glanced across the table at Rory and nodded toward Emily.

Rory gave a confused shrug, then asked, "Everything okay, Grandma?"

Emily snapped out of the daze she was in, set her glass down on the table, and folded her hands in her lap. "Well, I can't move to Nantucket now," she declared. "Not full time, anyway."

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"If I'm going to have a great grandchild, I'm going to need to keep a home in Connecticut for when I visit," Emily said. "I certainly can't expect you to trek out here with a baby every time I want to see it."

"So… you're not gonna sell your house now?" Rory asked her.

"No, I'll still sell the house, but I'll see if I can find something smaller nearby," Emily said. "Maybe even closer to Stars Hollow, if you think you'll be around that area."

"Oh, I don't know for sure where I'll be yet," Rory said. "But I'll let you know when I figure that out."

"All right." Emily stood up from the table. "I'll be right back. Anyone want some more pie?" Without waiting for an answer, she raised her voice and called, "Berta, more pie out here, please!"

As Emily walked out of the room, Lorelai cringed and whispered, "Closer to Stars Hollow! No buffer!"

"She's only gonna do that if I'm near there, so the baby would be your buffer," Rory told her. "Grandma's gonna be focused on that and not you."

After considering that for a moment, Lorelai relaxed and nodded in agreement. "True. She's gonna be all over you. You're the one that's gonna need the buffer."

"Gee, thanks for the comforting words," Rory said with an eyeroll.

"Any time."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Early the next day, Rory left to head back to Hartford and Luke took Paul Anka for a walk while Lorelai was in the tub. Emily had invited them to join her at the whaling museum later in the morning.

Lorelai had just gotten out of the tub when Luke and Paul Anka arrived back at the house. As Luke jumped into the shower, Lorelai started to get dressed, but then reconsidered that decision. Instead, she slipped back into her robe and got comfortable on the bed.

When she heard the shower turn off, she untied the front of the robe and pulled it open to reveal her bare body. When Luke finally wandered out of the bathroom with his towel wrapped around his waist, he stopped abruptly when he saw her.

Lorelai propped herself up on her elbow and seductively flipped her hair. "Hello," she breathily greeted him.

"Uh… hi." His eyes roamed her body and his lips curved into a smile. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, nothing," Lorelai replied with a casual shrug.

"This doesn't look like nothing."

Lorelai smoothed her hands along the mattress on either side of her. "I thought we could christen the bed, now that we have the house all to ourselves."

Luke took a few steps toward the bed. "Oh, you did, did you?"

"Mmhmm." Lorelai pulled her arms out of the sleeves of her robe and beckoned him toward her.

Luke gestured to his body. "I'm a little wet."

Lorelai smirked as she raised an eyebrow. "Well, that makes two of us."

Luke dropped the towel from around his waist and joined her on the bed. His lips met hers and his hand immediately began caressing her breasts. Lorelai threaded her fingers through his damp hair as they kissed, moaning softly against his lips as her arousal grew.

Their hands and mouths explored each other's bodies for awhile before Luke guided himself to her opening, and Lorelai let out a long moan of approval as he started moving inside of her. There were soft groans and tender kisses and shared smiles as their bodies moved together sensually. He fell into a pattern of slow, shallow thrusts, every so often surprising her with a deeper one that would make her yelp with pleasure.

As they relaxed together on the bed afterwards, Lorelai ran her hand over his chest. "I'm gonna write so many dirty limericks about that in my diary. 'There was a husband and wife in Nantucket, and the husband, he really loved to -'"

"Okay, okay," Luke quickly cut her off with a laugh. "I got it. Save it for the diary."

Lorelai smiled, and then glanced over at the clock. "We have to meet my mom soon."

"Already?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, well, you know the saying… time flies in Nantucket when you're so busy- "

"Lorelai," Luke cut her off, smiling amusedly at her. He rubbed her arm as he let out a deep sigh. "So, I guess we should go get ready, huh?"

Lorelai gave him a sympathetic frown. "You know, you don't have to go if you don't want to. I can tell her you weren't feeling well," she offered.

Luke narrowed his eyes curiously. "Do you not want me to go?"

"Of course I do, but I feel bad that you're getting roped into all this stuff because I agreed to the Nantucket visits."

"I'm actually looking forward to the museum, I think it'll be interesting," Luke said.

"Really?" Lorelai asked, surprised. "Because that's not the same opinion your sigh just had."

"That wasn't an 'I don't wanna go to the museum' sigh," Luke told her. "That was an 'I'm currently naked in bed with my wife and I don't want to leave this spot' sigh."

Lorelai smiled and nodded understandingly. "I see." She sat up next to him on the bed. "Well, listen, if Mom invites us to do something and you really don't feel like it, tell me, okay? I don't want you to be miserable this whole week."

Luke sat up next to her and rubbed her thigh. "I'm gonna be fine going out and doing things if you're there, too." He leaned in to kiss her, then added, "But if she invites me to do something alone…"

Lorelai smiled. "Then you may be getting immediate food poisoning and will be unable to leave the bed?"

"Yup."

"Got it." She patted his arm. "Okay. Let's get ready to go learn about whales."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Officially Married - Chapter 5**

. . . . .

. . . . .

Later that morning, Luke and Lorelai toured the whaling museum, and after watching Emily's presentation, they were waiting for her at the back of the room.

"Did you see her face when she was talking about the buckets of blood?" Lorelai whispered to him. "Did you see the pleasure in her eyes?"

"I did see that," Luke confirmed, raising his eyebrow. "It was weird, right?"

"Very weird," Lorelai agreed. "I've never seen her so passionate about anything."

"I guess that's good, though, right?" Luke asked. "To see her getting involved and excited about something?"

Lorelai shrugged a little. "Yeah, I guess… she's trading in the DAR for whale trivia as her new hobby."

A few minutes passed before Emily came over to join them. "Well, what'd you think?"

"That was something, Mom," Lorelai replied with an energetic nod. "You were great."

"Yeah, very interesting," Luke added.

"It's incredibly fascinating stuff," Emily told them. "You can't even imagine."

"Oh, I can definitely imagine," Lorelai confirmed. "You painted a very vivid picture."

"I have some time before my next presentation," Emily said. "I thought we could grab some lunch at the pub across the street."

"Grab some lunch at the _pub_?" Lorelai repeated incredulously. "You… go to pubs? And… eat at them?"

Emily shrugged. "It's a quaint little place."

Lorelai smiled. "Emily Gilmore, I barely recognize you."

"Come on, before the lunch crowd hits," Emily said, and she started walking toward the exit, beckoning Luke and Lorelai to follow.

They walked across the street to the pub, and their food was brought out within a few minutes of them ordering.

"Really quick service here when you beat the crowds," Emily told them.

Lorelai shared an amused smile with Luke. "The food looks good."

As they started eating, Emily said, "I thought we could go to the maritime museum tomorrow."

"Okay," Lorelai replied.

"Or maybe check out some of the lighthouses… they're beautiful. And there's the brewery we can visit… it's also a winery and a distillery."

"You becoming the official tour guide of Nantucket, Mom?" Lorelai joked.

Emily shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "I just want you to have a chance to explore."

"Let's try to explore the indoor things on this trip," Lorelai suggested. "Let's save the outdoor activities for when it's not 40 degrees."

"All right, I have some other things in mind," Emily said. They ate their lunch quietly for a few moments before she said, "I think we need to discuss what's going on with Rory."

Lorelai tensed up slightly and shot a quick glance over at Luke. "Uh, I think Rory gave you all the details already," she said. "What's to discuss?"

"Well, what's she going to do, where is she going to live?" Emily asked. "We have to guide her on these things."

Lorelai shook her head. "No, we don't."

"Of course we do, Lorelai," Emily said.

"Mom, Rory's an adult. She needs to come up with a plan of what she wants to do, and if she needs help putting that plan into action, then we can offer suggestions," Lorelai replied. "Until then, I'm not gonna risk driving her away by forcing my opinions on her."

Emily pursed her lips. "You mean, like I did to you."

"That's not what I meant," Lorelai replied, and then muttered, "Though it does happen to be true."

"All right, maybe now's not the best time to get into that," Luke said, trying to be the calm voice of reason.

"What's going to happen with Logan?" Emily asked. "Is he going to be involved with this child?"

"That's up to him to decide," Lorelai replied with a shrug. "Not me, not you, not Rory… that's on him."

"When is she going to tell him?" Emily asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure, she didn't say," Lorelai replied, giving an awkward glance toward Luke. She decided to leave out the fact that Rory wasn't even sure if she _was_ going to tell Logan.

"Well, she shouldn't wait too long," Emily said.

"She knows that," Lorelai said. "Give her some time, she'll figure it out."

"But she's had time to figure it out," Emily pointed out. "If she knew she was pregnant at your wedding, that was at least a month and a half ago, so what is she still trying to figure out? What has she been doing?"

"Mom, Rory's a thinker, a planner," Lorelai reminded her. "And this is a huge life-changing thing she's dealing with and it requires a lot more thinking and planning than usual, so you need to cut her some slack. If she needs extra time to figure things out, we're gonna give it to her, okay?"

"Fine, okay, we'll give her time, but all I'm saying is that you shouldn't let her run out the clock on this one," Emily said. "If five months go by and she's still figuring things out, it might be time for someone to give her a little nudge in the right direction."

"Yeah, I think that makes sense," Luke chimed in.

Lorelai glanced over at Luke with wide eyes. "What?"

Luke shrugged. "We don't want her to wait until the last minute and then she's overwhelmed with a newborn and still trying to figure out her plan."

"Yes, see... he gets it," Emily said.

"We should give her a few months, but if she's not making any progress, then maybe we should… I don't know, push her a little," Luke said. "Maybe that's what she needs."

"We're not pushing her," Lorelai declared. "We push her, we push her _away_."

"Oh, for Pete's sake, Lorelai... Rory's not _you_ ," Emily said with an exasperated sigh.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at Emily. "What does that mean, Mother?"

"You're projecting onto her. You think that she's going to react the same way you did when you were pregnant," Emily told her. "But she's not sixteen and ready to be instantly defiant of whatever advice an adult might give her like you were. She's an adult and will be willing to accept advice from other adults, especially ones she trusts, and especially _you_. You're not going to drive her away just by offering your opinion or encouraging her to make decisions."

Lorelai glanced at Luke, who nodded his head a little, indicating his agreement with what Emily was saying. Lorelai reached for a French fry from her plate and dragged it through the pile of ketchup. She exhaled a sigh and took a bite of the fry before saying, "So, you're thinking the maritime museum tomorrow, huh? What's that place like?"

Emily got the hint, dropped the subject, and they began discussing the plans for tomorrow.

. . . . .

. . . . .

After lunch, Emily headed back to the whaling museum, and Luke and Lorelai were waiting in front of the pub for an Uber to take them back to the house.

"We should probably talk about that conversation, right?" Luke hesitantly asked.

"We will," Lorelai confirmed, and then held up her phone. "But the car's almost here and I'd rather just wait until we get back to the house."

Luke nodded, and they waited for the car to pick them up. The ride was only a few minutes long, but the silence made it feel longer.

When they arrived back at the house, they were taking off their coats in the foyer when Luke asked, "Are you mad at me?"

"Not mad, just a little irked," she calmly replied as she hung her jacket on the coat rack.

"For what? For disagreeing with you?"

"No, not for disagreeing with me," Lorelai replied. "For disagreeing with me _in front of my mother_."

"Well, she made a good point," Luke said with a shrug. "And we're supposed to be open with each other, and communicate our thoughts and opinions with each other as much as possible, remember? That's what Dr. Flint says."

"Yes, I know what Dr. Flint says," Lorelai replied. "And I'm all for our new open communication thing we've got going on, but you didn't have to do it that way."

"What way?" Luke asked.

"You could've waited until we were alone to tell me that you thought my mother made a good point, and then you and I could have discussed it further in private. You didn't have to do it right there in front of her and make me feel like I was being ganged up on in a pub by my mother and my husband."

Luke snickered. "We weren't ganging up on you at all. It was a perfectly calm discussion between three people who were sharing their opinions about someone they all care about."

"Okay, well, maybe _ganged up on_ is an exaggeration," Lorelai said. "But it still felt like it was two against one, and I was the _one_ , and my mother and my husband were the _two_. That kind of math shouldn't happen when it comes to you, me, and my mother. If it's two against one, we should be the two, Luke… _you and me_ , always."

"So, what does that mean? I should never disagree with you?"

"No, you can disagree with me all day, every day, on every topic known to man," Lorelai told him. "But as your wife, I'm imploring you in the future to just take a few seconds to think before you do it in front of Emily Gilmore. Think about the history I have with my mother and think about how she files away everything we say in the back of her mind to eventually use against us at a later date, and think about how you openly flaunting the fact that we disagree on an important topic may seem innocent to you, but it's not to her. It's leverage."

Luke shook his head. "Lorelai, you're completely over thinking this. Your mother is different now… she's not as manipulative and underhanded as you used to think she was."

" _Used to think she was_?" Lorelai repeated with a scoff. "You mean… _actually was_?"

"That's beside the point," Luke replied. "But when it comes to this, I don't think she cares if we agree or disagree with each other… she wants what's best for Rory, just like we do."

"Luke, old habits are hard to break," Lorelai reminded him. "Yes, she seems more laid back now, and she enjoys talking about whales and blood and has these moments of non-Emily-ness, but she's still _Emily Gilmore_. We have to be united in front of her or it'll come back to bite us."

Luke shook his head slightly and rubbed his temple. "See, this is where that whole 'keeping our families away from each other' thing wasn't such a bad idea. Can we go back to that?"

Lorelai knew he was joking and playfully swatted him on the arm. "No, we can't."

Luke smirked. "I know, I'm kidding." He stepped closer to her and took her hands into his, and exhaled a deep breath before he started speaking. "Look, I'm sorry if it felt like we were ganging up on you or if you felt like the odd man out. You know that wasn't my intention, right?"

Lorelai nodded understandingly. "I know it wasn't."

"And this isn't gonna be the last time we disagree on something," he continued. "But if you want me to be more, I don't know, selective or whatever when it comes to doing it in front of your mother, then I will try to do that."

Lorelai smiled appreciatively. "Thank you. United front in public, debate each other to death in private."

Luke smiled. "Deal."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The rest of their visit was free from heavy conversation topics. They kept busy during the days exploring Nantucket a little, both with Emily and on their own. They ate dinner with Emily each night, either at her house or one of the local restaurants, and then spent the later portion of their evenings back at the guest house.

Luke and Lorelai finally headed home with Paul Anka on New Year's Day, and by that time they were more than ready to get back to their normal routines. A week later, they were back in the therapist's office for their first visit of the year.

Dr. Flint asked if they had anything specific they wanted to talk about from their trip. Lorelai recapped the discussion they'd had about Luke agreeing with Emily at the pub, and Dr. Flint commended them for calmly talking out the issue right away instead of ignoring it and letting it stew.

"And my mother didn't bring up Rory's pregnancy again for the rest of the week," Lorelai said, and then glanced pointedly at Luke as she added, "Except once. Go ahead, tell him what happened."

Luke took a deep breath and muttered, "She turned out to be right."

"I'm sorry, I don't think he heard you," Lorelai teasingly said to Luke. "Speak up, please."

Luke rolled his eyes and then repeated, "She turned out to be right... about her mother taking advantage of our disagreeing."

He explained how one night during dinner, Lorelai had gone to use the bathroom, leaving Emily and Luke alone at the table. Emily casually mentioned to Luke that if Lorelai wasn't going to help Rory figure things out, it might eventually be up to Emily and Luke to do it, and that he should be ready to tackle that task if it came down to it. Emily also suggested to Luke that they keep that conversation between them and not tell Lorelai.

Lorelai was shaking her head as Luke told the story to Dr. Flint, and when he finished, Lorelai held up her hands victoriously and declared, "I called it."

"You did," Luke agreed. "I admitted it, you were right."

Dr. Flint looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment. "Lorelai, you didn't witness this happen, correct?"

"No, Luke told me about it when we got back to the guest house," Lorelai said, then explained, "Well, it's not technically a guest house, it's a real full-sized house next door to my mother's, but I just call it the guest house."

Dr. Flint nodded his head approvingly. "Very good."

"Very good?" Lorelai repeated, confused. "Very good that I call it the guest house?"

"No, very good that Luke told you about the exchange he had with your mother," Dr. Flint explained. "That was something he easily could have kept from you, and in the past, he maybe _would_ have kept from you. He didn't have to tell you, he didn't have to admit that you were right."

Lorelai's lips slowly curved into a smile as she looked at Luke. "No, he didn't. He could've pretended it never happened."

"Now, Luke, answer this honestly… did you even consider the possibility of keeping it from Lorelai?" Dr. Flint asked.

Luke shook his head. "No, I didn't. I actually couldn't wait for us to get out of Emily's house so I could tell Lorelai."

"That's true, he told me the second we walked in the door," Lorelai added, and then smiled at Luke and playfully patted him on the arm. "Look at us, being all communicative and what not."

Luke smiled. "I knew we had it in us."

Dr. Flint smiled. "Yes, you two have made great progress." He made a note in his notebook. "Was there anything else you wanted to discuss that was specific to your trip before we move on?"

"I can't think of anything," Luke replied, then glanced at Lorelai. "You?"

Lorelai pondered for a moment. "Well, there's maybe one thing. Does it have to be about Luke and I, or can it be anything in general?"

"No, it can be about anything you want," Dr. Flint replied. "We can talk about whatever's on your mind."

Lorelai glanced at Luke. "Should I maybe talk about Jack?"

"Oh, right, Jack," Luke replied, nodding in agreement.

"Jack?" Dr. Flint asked.

Lorelai took a deep breath. "My mother's… uh, gentleman friend."

"We don't know exactly _what_ he is," Luke added. "She said that they go way back, and that he was a friend of hers and Richard's from their country club."

"He's a widower, too, and he showed up in Nantucket for New Year's Day brunch," Lorelai said. "And he kissed my mother on the cheek when he arrived, and I was sitting there watching them interact during the meal, being all friendly and… ugh…" Lorelai shuddered. "I didn't like it."

"Why didn't you like it?" Dr. Flint asked.

"Because... my dad hasn't been gone that long," Lorelai said softly.

"She tensed up when Jack was around," Luke said, rubbing Lorelai's knee. "She was quieter, more serious… she wasn't herself."

"And I don't know why," Lorelai said. "He's perfectly nice. He was pleasant to me and Luke, respectful toward my mother… but the idea that there's already another guy in the picture just doesn't feel right. My parents were married for fifty years… _fifty_ years! She was devastated when my father died, she didn't know how she was going to go on without him… and now a year later, she's moved on?"

"This doesn't mean she's moved on," Dr. Flint told her. "After being married for that long, it's quite likely she will never fully _move on_. She's just found a companion to make life a little easier as she heals… someone to grieve with. You said he's a widower also, so perhaps they've created a support system for each other. She's found someone who knows what she's going through."

Lorelai shrugged. "I guess so. I know it's good for her to have someone to talk to, someone to relate to, I _know_ that… I just can't shake that feeling of weirdness."

"That's understandable," Dr. Flint said.

"I mean, she didn't look infatuated with him," Luke added. "They just seemed like they were friends, it was very casual… they weren't all over each other or anything."

"Ugh," Lorelai groaned. "I don't wanna picture my mother all over anyone or anything."

"Your reaction is perfectly normal, this weirdness that you feel," Dr. Flint said. "And your gut might tell you to try to keep your distance from him, but unfortunately, that won't do anyone any good. You have to accept that it's up to your mother to decide who her friends are or if she wants to involve herself with another man in any capacity. And unless you have a legitimate reason to dislike him, you should try to get to know him like you would any friend of a loved one."

"What counts as a legitimate reason?" Lorelai asked. "He carries a handkerchief, is that a legitimate reason?"

Dr. Flint smiled. "A legitimate reason would be if he was treating your mother poorly, or treating you poorly, or if you witnessed him doing something inappropriate or disrespectful. Did you see anything like that?"

"No," Lorelai reluctantly admitted.

"He seems like a nice guy," Luke said.

"Well, it might be a good idea to get to know him a little," Dr. Flint suggested. "Start small. The next time you're around him, ask him a few questions about himself, his family, his hobbies. Because whether he's in your mother's life as just a casual friend or something more, it would be good to foster some sort of kinship with him."

"Yeah, I know, you're right," Lorelai agreed with a nod. "I'll try. I mean, I don't think we're gonna see him very often, but I will make some effort when we do."

"Good." Dr. Flint made a note in his notebook and then turned the page. "So, it looks like the regular day to day communication is going smoothly, from what you've told me. You're sharing information with each other, communicating your thoughts and feelings, discussing issues right away... I'm quite pleased with all of that. So, we're gonna take a little detour from communication right now."

Lorelai glanced nervously at Luke before asking, "And focus on what instead?"

"I want to ask a few questions about your childhoods," Dr. Flint replied. "Lorelai, you've talked a little about your mom, but I want to get a little more insight into your family dynamic."

Lorelai let out a laugh. "Geez, how much time do we have? You might wanna extend the session an hour or two."

Dr. Flint smiled, then he looked at Luke. "And Luke, we haven't talked about your upbringing at all."

"No, we haven't," he hesitantly confirmed, looking a little wary. "But if you don't mind me asking, why do you need insight into that?"

"Sometimes the behaviors you exhibit in relationships are influenced by your upbringing," Dr. Flint explained. "So I just want to get a little background information. I promise, it'll just be a couple of questions, nothing too painful."

"Okay."

"And if there's time, I'd also like to learn a little bit about what some of your previous relationships were like," Dr. Flint told them. "Just the most significant ones, if that's not something that'll be difficult to discuss. It's up to you two."

Lorelai and Luke exchanged a look. "No, I think we're both fine with that," she said. "Right?"

"Yeah," Luke agreed.

"Okay, well, we'll start with your parents, and then move on if we have any time left," Dr. Flint said.

. . . . .

. . . . .

Later that night, Lorelai sat down on the couch next to Luke and handed him a glass of wine. "So, you inherited a fondness for speaking with actions instead of words from _your_ parents, and I inherited commitment issues from mine. That's so not fair."

Luke smirked. "You didn't _inherit_ them."

"Oh, sorry, let me clarify," Lorelai said, and then cleared her throat. "Lorelai Gilmore spent her childhood craving independence from her parents, which possibly led to her having commitment issues because she subconsciously feared losing that independence." She flashed him a smile. "How's that?"

"That's more accurate to what he said," he confirmed. "But he said it's just a possibility, nothing's for sure... nobody really knows where we pick up our habits and stuff from."

"I guess it doesn't matter anyway," Lorelai said with a shrug. "It's in the past. I'm very good at commitment now, if I do say so myself."

"Yup, you're good at it," Luke agreed.

"Thank you."

"You know, it wasn't as weird as I thought it would be to talk about our old relationships with him."

"No, it wasn't," she agreed. "I guess because they're such ancient history." She shook her head in disbelief. "I mean, think about it… it's been you and me for almost a _decade_. Doesn't that seem unreal?"

"It's amazing."

Lorelai smiled and tipped her wine glass toward him. "To us."

Luke clinked his glass against hers. "Cheers."

They sipped their wine, and then Lorelai reached out and gently stroked his arm. "Hearing you talk about your parents always makes me sad I never met them."

"Yeah, they would've liked you."

"Well, of course they would, I'm a delight," Lorelai said matter-of-factly.

"You _can_ be, at times."

Lorelai smiled at his teasing. "Such a sweet talker."

"My dad would've called you 'quite a looker'," Luke said, smirking. "That was usually how he described attractive females."

Lorelai smiled. "That's cute."

"Yeah." Luke shook his head amusedly, and then he became quiet as his gaze drifted to the fire in the fireplace.

After watching him for a few moments, Lorelai softly asked, "I guess missing parents that you've lost doesn't really get easier over time, does it?"

"Not really," he admitted.

Lorelai glanced down and fingered one of the buttons on her shirt. "I mean, even if someone's not particularly _close_ to a parent they lost, it seems like... well, it seems like something that always has a big impact on you."

"It's probably different for everyone," Luke replied with a shrug. "It might get easier for some people." He placed his hand on her knee as he pointedly added, "And you _were_ close to your dad, whether you think you were or not."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes skeptically. "Close? You would call us close?"

"Yes. Maybe you didn't tell each other a lot or get along all the time or have the greatest relationship when you were growing up, but you didn't _dislike_ each other. You still loved and supported and respected each other," Luke said. "The bond you had with him might be a little different than the bond that Rory had with him, but you two had one... definitely."

Lorelai had to nod in agreement. "Yeah, I guess." She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "I miss him... I miss my dad."

Luke gave her a sympathetic look as he beckoned her toward him. She cuddled up against him and he wrapped his arm around her. "I know you do," he said before kissing the top of her head.

"It's so weird how something so significant to your life can happen in an instant and then you just have to deal with it forever," she said.

"Yeah, I know."

"Like, lots of things happen that impact you for the rest of your life... you know, like marriage, if you're lucky enough to find _the one_ , or having a baby," Lorelai continued. "But when you're getting married, you usually spend time planning the wedding and you have time to think and prepare. It doesn't just happen overnight. And when you're having a baby, you find out and then you have months to get ready for it. But when someone dies... it's just so fast. Like... how unfair is it that in a matter of seconds, so much can be taken away from you?" Lorelai exhaled a sigh before adding, "Without giving you a chance to say goodbye... without giving you closure."

Luke had been calmly stroking his fingers up and down her arm as she spoke, and when she was finished talking, he comfortingly squeezed her arm. "It's unfair," he agreed. "That's life, unfortunately. Sometimes you have to deal with really crappy stuff."

"You'd think that with all of these technological advancements in the world, they could figure out how to give us more time to deal with something so huge before it happens."

"Maybe that's why your dad had that actuarial life table thing," Luke pointed out. "Maybe he felt the same way, he wanted to know and be prepared for things like that. I think you two had more in common than you realized."

Lorelai lifted her head to look up at him, and smiled before giving him a kiss. A phone started to ring, and she glanced over at the desk where it was. "Ugh, it's so far. Why did we put that desk so far?" She reluctantly got up from the couch and walked over to the desk to answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom," Rory's voice greeted her.

"Hey, kid," Lorelai greeted her. "You okay?" She walked back over to the couch and sat down next to Luke.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rory replied. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, what's up?" Lorelai replied.

"Do you wanna maybe come with me to my doctor's appointment on Friday?" Rory asked her. "I mean, it's okay if you can't or if you don't want to, but I thought maybe it might be good to have someone with me this time."

Lorelai smiled into the phone. "Yes, of course I will. I wanted to go with you last time, remember?"

"I know, I just thought it was something I could handle by myself," Rory replied. "And I _can_ , I think, but I'm realizing that... it doesn't mean that I have to."

Lorelai's smile widened. "Well, it was hard for me to ever grasp that, so you're a much wiser pregnant woman than I was."

"I think going through this myself at the same time that I'm writing about _you_ going through it back then is giving me some perspective," Rory said.

"Well, good, perspective is important," Lorelai replied. "You can learn from my mistakes."

"They're not mistakes, they're just different choices," Rory corrected her. "It doesn't mean they were the wrong choices."

Lorelai smiled. "I appreciate the kindness toward your mistake-making mother."

"Anytime," Rory replied. "The appointment's at four, can you meet me at Grandma's house around 3:30?"

"Okay. And hey, why don't you come over after?" Lorelai suggested. "We'll have dinner, watch some movies, you can spend the night if you want."

"Oh, yeah, that sounds good," Rory replied. "Thanks, Mom."

"Goodnight, hon," Lorelai said.

"Bye."

Lorelai hung up the phone and smiled at Luke. "She wants me to go with her to her doctor's appointment on Friday."

"Really? Good, I'm glad... I didn't like that she went alone last time."

Lorelai filled him in on the rest of their conversation, and then they settled in on the couch to watch a movie.

. . . . .

. . . . .

After the doctor's appointment on Friday, Lorelai and Rory headed to Stars Hollow in their own separate cars. Rory drove right to the house, and Lorelai headed to the diner to pick up dinner. She'd called ahead to Luke to let him know she was coming so he could have the food ready.

When she walked into the diner, Luke was behind the counter, and he gestured to a brown bag in front of him. "Hey. Your dinner's all ready."

"Great, thanks," Lorelai replied as she approached him. "Come with me." She reached across the counter and grabbed his wrist. She pulled him toward the back of the diner, lifting their arms up high so as not to knock over the various condiment bottles along the counter.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked her, allowing her to pull him along. "Lorelai?"

She led him to the storage room and shut the door. "Okay, I'm sure this will come up later when you get home, but I wanted to tell you right away and not wait until then."

"Tell me what?"

Lorelai exhaled a deep breath. "Rory decided she's going to tell Logan about the baby."

Luke's eyes widened with surprise and he leaned in close to her. "She is? She told you that?" He was practically whispering, even though no one was around to overhear them.

Lorelai nodded. "Yup, she said she thought it out and she decided she has to do it, that he deserves to know. She's going to make it very clear that she doesn't want or expect anything from him, and that she understands if he doesn't want to be involved with the baby, but that she'll leave the door open if he wants to be."

Luke was smiling proudly. "That's the right thing to do. I'm so relieved right now."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, me too… but there's a little more."

"More?"

"Yeah, more," Lorelai replied. "She wants to do it in person… and soon. Like, next week kind of soon."

"She wants to go to London?" Luke's eyes narrowed with concern. "Is she gonna be okay to do that? I mean, it's good to do it in person, but that's a long emotional trip to make on her own."

Lorelai nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I had the same thought, and that's why..." She squeezed her thumb and forefinger together. "...there's actually just a teeny bit more."

"More?" Luke eyed her curiously. "What else?"

"I offered to go with her," Lorelai told him. "Just as like a travel buddy, you know? I thought it might be easier for her if she had someone with her, and it would be easier for me because I wouldn't be at home worrying about her."

Luke nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'd be worrying right there with you." He paused a moment. "So… she said yes to you going?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, she's okay with that."

"Okay."

Lorelai eyed him for a second before asking, "So, you're not mad, right?"

Luke gave her a confused look. "Why would I be mad?"

"Well, because I didn't talk to you about it first," Lorelai replied. "I mean, it's something that costs money and we have joint money now and we're supposed to talk to each other before we spend the aforementioned joint money on expensive things."

"Oh, right, right, yeah," Luke replied, shaking his head. "I actually… kind of forgot about that."

"Yeah, I didn't remember until I was driving here to tell you," Lorelai admitted. "This shared money thing is still new, so it was kind of an afterthought."

Luke shrugged and waved it off. "It's okay. You know I wouldn't have said no to something like that."

"I know, but we have to try to hold ourselves accountable when we mess up, okay?" Lorelai told him. "We have to try to get into the habit of discussing things like that first."

Luke nodded in agreement. "Okay."

"So, that being said... I'm sorry I decided to use our money to leave the country without telling you first." Lorelai batted her eyelashes and pouted at him. "Forgive me?"

Luke smiled as he stepped closer to her. "Yeah, you're forgiven."

"Thank you." Lorelai pressed her lips to his for a deep kiss, then pulled back with a smile. "I'll see you at home."

They walked back out to the front of the diner, and Lorelai grabbed the bag of food from the counter as she headed toward the door.

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Officially Married - Chapter 6**

. . . . .

. . . . .

The following Saturday, Lorelai was sitting at the desk in a London hotel room working on her laptop. She glanced at the clock, and realizing that Luke was probably finally awake at home, she picked up the phone to call him.

Luke answered the phone on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Cheerio, old chap," she greeted him in an English accent. "Top of the mornin' to you."

Luke smiled into the phone. "Hey."

"Were you awake?"

"Yeah, just got out of the shower," Luke replied. "What's the latest?"

"Rory left about half an hour ago to meet Logan in the coffee shop next door," Lorelai replied. "And yes, I _was_ tempted to put on a disguise and go sit at a table near her so I could listen in and be prepared just in case she needed me, but I talked myself out of it."

"She's strong, she'll be fine," Luke said.

"I know. I'm trying to distract myself by doing some stuff for the inn, but you can imagine how well that's going."

"Right. Probably hard to think about anything else."

"Oh, hey, tell me more about that shower you just got out of, that'll distract me," Lorelai said. "What'd you wash first?"

Luke smiled. "I'll just leave that up to your imagination."

"Okay, fine... what else is going on there?"

"Not much since yesterday," Luke replied. "Got home from work last night, had burgers and beer with Paul Anka."

"He's gotten better at holding his liquor," Lorelai commented.

"And we watched a little ESPN before bed," Luke finished.

"Did you let him sleep on my side of the bed?" Lorelai asked hopefully. "It helps him deal better with me being gone."

"Yes, I let him sleep there," Luke replied, and Lorelai could practically hear him roll his eyes. "He's fine."

"Okay, good," Lorelai replied.

They chatted for a few minutes until Lorelai heard someone at the door. "Oh, I think Rory's back," she whispered into the phone. "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye."

Lorelai hung up her phone just as the door opened. Rory entered the room and sat down on her bed, and Lorelai walked over to sit beside her.

"Everything go okay?" Lorelai asked gently.

Rory nodded. "Yeah. Actually, it was fine."

"Fine?"

"Yup."

"You flew across the Atlantic Ocean to tell a guy who's engaged to someone else that you're pregnant with his baby and… it went _fine_?" Lorelai asked incredulously. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad that it went fine… but how the hell could that scenario possibly have gone _fine_?"

Rory shrugged. "It just did."

Lorelai suddenly gasped. "Oh, wait, does _fine_ mean something else in London? Does it mean, like, awful and dramatic?"

"No, London fine means the same as American fine," Rory confirmed.

"Okay. Care to divulge the details of the supposed fine-ness?"

"I was at the shop, he came in, sat down, and I told him right away. I didn't wanna waste any time, I just needed to get it out."

"Understandable," Lorelai said.

"Even though I was nervous, I just tried to stay as composed as I could," Rory said. "I calmly told him that I was having it, keeping it, and that I didn't need him to be involved if he didn't want to be, that I didn't expect him to change his life around for this, but that he needed to know about it. I told him I was completely fine with whatever he decided and that I wasn't putting any pressure on him."

"And what was his reaction?"

"Silence, at first," Rory replied. "For like a good solid minute, he just sat there wide-eyed, staring and thinking, and then finally he asked me-"

"I'm gonna scream if the first words out of his mouth were _'are you sure it's mine?'_ ," Lorelai interrupted. "Please tell me he didn't ask you that."

Rory shook her head. "No, he didn't ask me that. I'm sure he knows that I wouldn't have flown all the way out here to talk to him if I wasn't sure that it was his."

"Oh, right... good point. So, then, what did he ask?"

"He asked me if I was feeling okay," Rory replied.

Lorelai blinked a few times and shook her head slightly. "What?"

"Yup."

Lorelai blinked some more. "Uh… okay. Points for that. And then…?"

"He said he wants to be involved," Rory said.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Really? Wow."

"He said he'll need some time to figure out his next steps, but that he's not okay with the idea of his kid being out there and him not being involved in its life."

"Wow, okay, involved, all right," Lorelai said, surprised. "And did he…" She paused a moment as she searched for the right way to phrase her question, then asked, "Did he insinuate that he wanted to be involved with more than just the baby?"

Rory thought about the question. "You mean, with me? Did he say he would call off his engagement to Odette so he and I could get back together as a couple? No, he didn't."

"Okay, well, if he suddenly has this great epiphany that you and he are meant to be together… is that something you'd want?"

"I don't know," Rory replied honestly. "Because then it's like the baby is the reason he decides to be with _me._ If he wanted us together, he's had plenty of opportunities to tell me that before a baby was ever in the picture."

"Right, I get that," Lorelai replied. "It's like years ago, when Dean got back together with you _after_ his wife found out he cheated and threw him out. It's another situation where you never know what would've happened without the other thing influencing the guy's actions."

"Gee, thanks for the beautiful stroll down memory lane, Mom," Rory said, rolling her eyes. "Let's bring up all of my horrible indiscretions and then talk about how men are only with me by default."

Lorelai frowned and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! I'm tired and jet-lagged and it was just the first comparison that popped into my head. Please don't put this conversation in the book."

Rory smiled a little and shrugged it off. "It's okay. I just don't know exactly what I'm feeling or what I want or... well, pretty much anything. I just feel like I don't know _anything_ right now because there are so many unknowns flying around my brain. Do you ever feel like that?"

"Sometimes," Lorelai confirmed. "But eventually it all becomes clear and things fall into place. Give it some time."

Rory exhaled a soft sigh. "I do feel good that I told him, though. It's something I can check off the to-do list."

Lorelai rubbed her arm. "I'm glad it went smoothly."

"Thanks for coming here with me," Rory said sincerely. "It was nice not having to make the trip alone."

Lorelai smiled. "You're welcome."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The following evening, Luke picked up Lorelai and Rory from the airport. He dropped Rory off at Emily's house, and then he and Lorelai headed to Stars Hollow.

"So, successful trip, huh?" he asked her.

Lorelai had called Luke the previous night and told him about Rory's meeting with Logan, so he was caught up on everything.

"Seemed to be," Lorelai replied. "She was glad to get the whole 'telling him' part over with, to not have that hanging over her anymore. That's why she wanted to fly out there so quickly after she made the decision to tell him... to just get it done and not have to stress about it for long."

"You think he really wants to be involved or you think he was saying what he thought she wanted to hear?" Luke asked her.

"She said that she trusts that he wouldn't lie to her about that if he didn't really intend to do it," Lorelai replied, and then she shrugged. "So, I think we have to believe him until he proves that we shouldn't."

"What does that mean, being involved?" Luke asked. "Like, he wants to give the baby money? Or he wants to be physically involved? Are Rory and this kid gonna be flying out to London every few weeks to visit? Is he gonna be flying here? How is this gonna work?"

"We were talking about that a little on the flight back," Lorelai said. "We have no idea, all we can do is speculate until he reaches out to her and they discuss it some more, so I think we have to wait and see."

"Right."

"So, what'd I miss here?" she asked him.

"Um, let's see," Luke mused. "Taylor put up signs today requesting volunteers for the firelight festival, which isn't until the end of next month."

Lorelai's eyes lit up. "Ooh, one of my favorites."

"And Paul Anka decided he hates the red dog leash again, so I had to pull the blue one out of the closet," Luke said.

Lorelai giggled. "He likes changing it up to match his mood."

"Oh, before I forget," Luke said, and he glanced over at her with a more serious look.

Lorelai's smile quickly faded. "What's wrong?"

"I went to see Buddy this afternoon," Luke said, his voice softening a little. "He wasn't looking so great. I don't know if he has much time left."

Lorelai gasped softly and reached out to rub his forearm. "Aw, hon… I'm so sorry."

Maisy had passed away five years earlier, and Luke expectedly had a difficult time dealing with her death. Buddy had continued to run Sniffy's Tavern on his own for a few years, and then eventually a family friend took it over. Toward the end of 2016, Buddy's health began to decline, and he wasn't well enough to make it to Luke and Lorelai's wedding. He'd had a nurse caring for him at home for awhile, and a few weeks ago was moved to an assisted-living facility. Luke and Lorelai tried to visit him whenever they could.

"I'm gonna try to go see him more often," Luke told her. "You know, every other day, or _every day_ , if I can get over there."

"I'll go with you when I can," she offered.

Luke nodded. "Thanks."

The last few minutes of the drive were quiet, and as he parked in the driveway and turned off the engine, he looked over at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be all depressing right when you got home."

"That's okay."

Luke exhaled a deep breath and shook his head slightly. "He's such a good guy. He's always been there for me."

Lorelai frowned sympathetically and nodded in agreement. "I know." She placed her hand on the base of his neck and began to stroke it gently with her fingers. "I know this is hard for you. What can I do to help?"

Luke shrugged a little. "Nothing really, but…" He glanced at the house for a few moments, then brought his gaze back to her. "But I might need time to deal with it alone… you know, like with Maisy."

Lorelai nodded understandingly. "I get it," she said softly as her fingers continued to rub his neck.

When Maisy had died suddenly, Luke went through a mourning process that was sort of like his dark day, but it lasted a few days. He didn't want to talk, he just needed to be alone and grieve in his own way.

Luke nodded toward the house. "Let's go in… there's a furry guy in there who's gonna be very excited to see you."

"You invited Taylor over?" Lorelai joked.

Luke smiled and handed her his keys. "Go unlock the door, I'll grab the bag."

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Monday of the following week, Lorelai and Michel did a walkthrough at the annex and made some notes about the spa layout. They sat in folding chairs at a card table in the front room to go over some details.

"I want all of the rooms to have lots of outlets," Lorelai said. "It's so annoying when you're in a hotel room and there's not enough outlets to charge your devices." She looked down at the list in front of her. "Oh, have you started looking at gym equipment? We need to start pricing that stuff."

"Yes, and I've also started visiting spas in the area to try to see if we can poach any of their workers," Michel said. "I've got my eye on a masseur at the Victorian that is amazing."

"Well, do your stalking silently for now, please," Lorelai told him. "We're not ready to do any staff hiring yet for the spa. Oh, but speaking of staff, did you call Molly to see if she's still available? I'm hoping she's still at that old job that she was trying to leave and is still interested in the Dragonfly."

"I did not call her."

"Well, can you please call her? Because if you're gonna be here most of the time, we need a new you over there."

"I know we need a new me, but she didn't seem willing to change her name," Michel argued. "You want people to show up to a fancy inn and be greeted by someone named _Molly_? This isn't the Mickey Mouse Club."

"Michel, call her and see if she's still available," Lorelai said. "She was the best candidate we saw. If she's not available, get some more résumés for us to look at."

Michel huffed out a sigh. "Fine. Did we get Tom to commit to the June 25th finish date we proposed?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"I need to know if I can start booking people for that Friday after," Michel said. "The Dragonfly always fills up that weekend for the Independence Day festival, so I'm sure we could fill the suites that weekend, too."

"Ooh, that's a good point," Lorelai agreed. "We'll have to push for that date."

"Tourists eat those festivals up," Michel remarked. "It'll be like putting gas in the car."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What?"

"It'll be like putting gas in the car."

"I know what you said, but what does that mean?"

"Gas in the car!" Michel repeated exasperatedly. "It is _easy_ to put gas in the car, no? So, that's what it'll be like trying to get people to come here during a festival… easy!"

Lorelai shook her head disappointedly. "Your idioms need work."

There was a knock on the front door, and Lorelai and Michel exchanged a confused look as they heard the door start to open.

"Anyone here?" Luke's voice called.

Lorelai smiled and walked over to the entryway, where Luke was standing at the doorway. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

Luke stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "I saw the Jeep out front," he said. "Thought I'd come see the place before the heavy-duty construction starts."

Lorelai smiled. "Cool, I'll give you a tour. Michel and I were just having a meeting."

She led him over to the front room where Michel was, and Luke nodded toward him. "Hey, Michel."

"Luke," Michel greeted him. "Still going with that baseball cap, I see."

"Michel, let's finish up at the inn," Lorelai said. "I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

"Fine," Michel replied, and he started putting on his coat.

"Call Molly, and then call Tom to double check on that June date. Tell him it's important, and we'll pay for extra manpower if he needs it."

"Okay." Michel gathered up his things and headed for the front door.

"Time for a tour," Lorelai said to Luke, and then gestured around the room they were standing in. "This is gonna be the lobby," she explained, then pointed to the back wall. "And the reservation desk will be over there."

Lorelai led Luke down the hall, pointing out where the gym, salon, and massage rooms would be. They reached the back of the building, where she described their plans to build an addition to better accommodate the sauna, hot tub, and some private changing areas.

Lorelai brought him to the kitchen. "We're gonna make the kitchen a little bigger, and the dining room will be right through there," she explained, gesturing toward a doorway.

She led him back to the front of the building, and pointed out a small room. "That'll be the office that Michel and I will share," Lorelai told him, and then gestured toward the staircase right off of the lobby area. "And upstairs will be the guest suites with the mini-fridges and all the fancy things people are willing to pay extra bucks for."

Luke smiled. "Good, let 'em pay up."

"So, what do you think?" Lorelai asked him. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"It's gonna be amazing," he declared.

Lorelai smiled. "You think?"

Luke put his hands on her shoulders. "Definitely." He kissed her softly before adding, "I'm proud of you."

Lorelai's smile widened. "Thank you." She glanced around for a moment before exhaling a sigh. "Okay, I better get back to the inn."

Lorelai grabbed her things from the table, and Luke walked her out to her Jeep. A cell phone started ringing, and Lorelai patted the phone in her pocket to feel if it was vibrating. "That's not me. Is it you?"

Luke reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the ringing cell phone. He checked the number on the front, then gritted his teeth as he sucked in a nervous breath. "I think this is Buddy's facility."

Lorelai's eyes widened a little. "Oh, no." They had visited Buddy the day before and were planning to go back to see him that night. She placed her hand over her heart in nervous anticipation of what the call was about.

Luke answered the phone. "Hello?"

Lorelai watched and listened to the brief conversation, and could tell it was bad news. Her eyes fell closed with a disheartened sigh, and when she heard Luke end the call, she opened her eyes and asked, "Did he…?"

Luke nodded and swallowed hard before replying, "He's gone."

Lorelai frowned sympathetically and stepped closer to him. "Luke, I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

Luke hugged her back for a few moments, and when they separated, Lorelai noticed tears in the corners of his eyes. She took his hands into hers and comfortingly squeezed them. "I'm glad we got to see him yesterday."

"Yeah." He exhaled a deep breath and thought for a moment. "I guess I should go call Martin and start working on the funeral plans."

Martin was a close friend of Buddy's who was also a lawyer. He had helped handle the affairs when Maisy passed away, and would help handle Buddy's as well.

Lorelai gently smoothed her hand against his cheek. "Let me know if there's anything I can do, okay?"

Luke nodded. "I will."

"You want me to drive you back to the diner?" she offered.

Luke shook his head. "I'll walk. I'll see you later."

"Bye." Lorelai folded her arms across her chest and sadly watched after Luke as he headed down the street toward the diner.

. . . . .

. . . . .

For the next few days, Luke was busy working on the funeral arrangements, and the service was held on Thursday. As they were getting ready for bed that night, Luke said, "I'm not gonna be at the diner tomorrow… just so you know."

"At all?"

"Yeah. Caesar will be there, but I need to get out and run some errands and be alone, you know?"

Lorelai nodded. "Okay."

She knew he needed to detox after the emotional last few days. Part of her had been hoping that he'd open up to her instead of dealing with his grief silently like he usually did, but he hadn't, and she wouldn't push him to do so. If he needed some time to himself to deal with things, she would give it to him.

When he arrived home the next night, later than she'd expected him, she was on the couch watching television.

"There you are," Lorelai greeted him. "You okay?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, sorry, lost track of time." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "You have a good day?"

What she _wanted_ to say was that the inn was understaffed because three employees had come down with the flu, that the burrito she'd gotten for dinner tasted weird so she was now convinced that food poisoning would be hitting her any minute, and that she got an interesting email she wanted to talk to him about.

What she _actually_ said was, "Not too bad." He'd basically asked a yes or no question, so she thought maybe he was hoping for a short response. She'd leave it up to him and see if he asked for more details himself.

Luke nodded. "Good."

He didn't ask for any details or continue the conversation, but she quickly asked, "How about you?"

Luke shrugged. "It was okay." He gestured toward the staircase. "I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed."

Lorelai nodded, and she watched as he headed up the stairs.

They hadn't had a long conversation all week, which was expected and understandable considering the circumstances. And up until a few months ago, she wouldn't have given that a second thought... going a few days without an in-depth discussion about anything wasn't out of the ordinary back then. But it felt weird now. They had gotten into this new routine of having lengthy conversations every day, so this sudden quietness almost felt like they were fighting.

As she sat there staring at the staircase he had just ascended, she thought about how much she loved telling him about the details of her day, and hearing about his. She hadn't realized how much of a positive impact their daily discussions were having on them until they suddenly stopped.

She had to remind herself that this was just temporary… they weren't reverting back to their old ways. He was still in mourning, still in a funk, and avoiding conversations was a normal tendency of his when he felt this way. Once he was out of his funk, they could get back to talking... she just wished she knew when that would be.

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next morning, Lorelai heard Luke moving around the bedroom, and she opened her eyes to check the clock. It was almost five, and since he hadn't mentioned the night before what his plans were for the day, she sat up and groggily asked, "You heading to the diner or another day of errands?"

Luke grabbed his wallet from his dresser and slipped it into the back pocket of his jeans. He walked over to her side of the bed before replying, "Diner. Gonna see if I can handle it. I'm still a little…" His voice trailed off and he shrugged. "You know."

Lorelai nodded. "I know."

"I'll see you tonight."

"Okay." Lorelai reached for his hand. "Oh, wait, before I forget, we have an appointment on Monday with Dr. Flint," she reminded him. Their appointments were now every two weeks instead of weekly.

"I know."

"Did you want me to cancel it?" she hesitantly asked. "Just in case you're still… distracted?"

Luke shook his head. "No, it's okay." He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye."

"Bye." Lorelai watched him walk out of the bedroom before she settled back into bed to sleep for a few more hours.

. . . . .

. . . . .

Lorelai's day at the Dragonfly was hectic as they were still short-staffed. When she got home a little after six and saw that Luke wasn't there yet, she changed out of her work clothes and headed to the diner for dinner.

As she walked in, she scanned the room quickly for Luke, and then walked up to Caesar at the counter. "Hey, Caesar… do you know where Luke is?" she asked.

"He just left a few minutes ago," Caesar replied.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes confusedly. "Really? Did he say where he was going? His truck's still parked out front."

"No, he didn't say," Caesar replied, and then snapped his fingers as he remembered something. "Oh, but here." He retrieved Luke's cell phone from under the counter and handed it to Lorelai. "He left it in the kitchen."

"Oh, thanks." Lorelai put it into her pocket, and was quiet for a moment before asking, "How was he today? Grumpier than usual?"

Caesar shrugged. "Not really… started off a little quiet, but was kind of normal by the end of the day." He gestured toward the kitchen. "You want some food or coffee?"

Lorelai glanced outside at Luke's truck, and then back at Caesar. "Uh, not yet. I'm gonna see if I can track him down. If he comes back here, can you tell him I'm looking for him?"

"Will do."

Lorelai stepped out of the diner and gave a quick glance around to see if she happened to see Luke walking, but it was dark and she couldn't see very far. She decided to check the market, thinking he might've stopped there to get something for dinner. She headed to Doose's, did a quick search of the aisles for him, then asked the cashier if she'd seen him. No luck, he hadn't been there.

She headed back toward the diner to get her Jeep to do a quick drive around the town. Just as she reached it, her cell phone rang and she fished it from her coat pocket. She checked to see who was calling, and was surprised to see Lane's name.

"Hello? Lane?" Lorelai answered the phone.

"No, it's me."

The fact that it was a male voice at all threw her off, so it took her a moment to register it as her own husband's voice. "Luke?"

"Yeah, I'm borrowing Lane's phone, I left mine at the diner."

"Yeah, I was just there and Caesar gave it to me," Lorelai replied. "I'm out front… where are you?"

"I walked to Weston's," Luke replied. "I thought you were still at the inn, but if you're at the diner, I'll head that way."

"No, it's cold, stay there… I'll come get you."

They hung up, and Lorelai drove over to Weston's. Luke was waiting out front holding a white box, and he climbed into the passenger side of the Jeep. "Hey," he greeted her.

"Hey. What's going on?"

"I came to pick up some of those rum balls and brownie bites that you like," he said, tapping on the box in his lap. "Then I was gonna call you to see what I could bring home for dinner while I was out, but I didn't have my phone, and Lane was in there, so I borrowed hers."

Lorelai was quiet for a second as she processed what he said. "You stopped here to get me some treats?" she asked, cocking her head to the side with a small smile.

Luke shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah."

"And then you were gonna bring me something for dinner?"

"Yeah."

Lorelai's smile widened. "The funk's gone... you're back."

Luke smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay now, and I was feeling bad about this week. We didn't really talk or see each other a lot in the beginning of the week when I was planning the funeral, and then the last few days I was kind of…" His voice trailed off and he shrugged. "Out of it."

"I understood why," she assured him.

"I know, but this week was really hard and I pulled away more than I usually do. I didn't want to say something I'd regret and start a fight, so it was easier to try not to talk at all, you know? But I feel kinda bad about it... like I was ignoring you or something."

Lorelai shook her head. "You don't have to feel bad," she told him. "I get it, I'm used to it. I've known you for a long time, Luke... I know that's how you deal with things like this."

"I know, that's why I wanted to do something nice," Luke replied. "To kind of… I don't know, _thank you_ for getting it."

"That's sweet." Lorelai smiled and squeezed his hand. "You know, I've gotten used to telling you what goes on in my crazy head every day… I missed that this week."

"Me, too," he replied.

"You did, really?" Lorelai asked, sounding relieved, then admitted, "Because I was getting worried that you'd get used to us not talking a lot, and that you would want to go back to that, how we used to be."

Luke shook his head. "Nope. We communicate now. That's what we do, that's what we're gonna keep doing."

Lorelai was smiling as she placed her hand on his scruffy cheek. "I'm finding you extra hot right now."

Luke smirked and rubbed her knee. "Let's go get something for dinner."

They picked up Chinese takeout and then she dropped him off at his truck, and they drove home separately. They spread the food out on the kitchen table and sat down to eat. Lorelai started to fill him in on the things she'd wanted to tell him throughout the week… updates about the inn and about Rory's book progress and other assorted topics.

When she'd gotten through almost all of what she'd wanted to tell him, Lorelai cleared her throat. "So, there's one more thing I wanna talk about... an email that I got yesterday. I read it, but I didn't reply to it yet."

The look on Luke's face was a mixture of confusion and concern. "Okay."

Lorelai retrieved her phone from her purse and returned to the table. She opened up her email, clicked on a message, then handed the phone to Luke.

He stared down at the phone, which was displaying an email from Christopher asking Lorelai if he could call her to discuss what's going on with Rory.

"Huh." Luke lifted his eyes from the phone and handed the device back to her.

Lorelai set the phone down on the table. "What do you think?"

"I don't know," Luke replied, shaking his head.

"I asked Rory today when we were texting if she had told him yet, and she said no," Lorelai said. "So, how do you think he found out? My mother? I didn't think they were in touch anymore, but I could be wrong. And what's there to discuss with _me_ about Rory's situation? Rory's an adult now, he can go directly to her like he has been for years… why does he suddenly want to talk to me?"

"I don't know," Luke replied. "He probably wants to offer money. That's what he does, that's his way of pretending to care about a situation… just throwing money at it."

Lorelai cocked her head to the side. "Luke."

"It's not?" he challenged her.

"It _can_ be, sometimes," Lorelai admitted. "But he's gonna be a grandfather, I'm sure he's not just _pretending_ to care about this situation. Besides, if he wanted to offer money, he'd go right to Rory and not to me."

"True."

"I'll reply back and try to keep the conversation to email, but he might still call... just so you know."

"Okay." Luke took a sip of his beer and then set it back on the table. "You know, you don't have to purposely avoid a phone call on my account. I'm fine with it."

"I know you are," she assured him. "But this is Rory's thing, I feel like he should talk to _her_ , not me."

"Right. Well, let me know how it goes."

Lorelai nodded. "I will."

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Monday afternoon, they walked into their therapist's office and got settled on the couch across from him.

"So, how's everything going? You're still communicating on a daily basis?" Dr. Flint asked. Luke and Lorelai exchanged a look that Dr. Flint noticed. "Oh, did we hit a snag?"

"Well, things were going fine for awhile," Lorelai replied. "But then we had something happen and we had to take a little bit of a communication break, but we're back at it now."

Dr. Flint eyed her curiously. "Okay. Can you fill me in? What happened, why did you need a break?"

Lorelai explained to the therapist about Buddy's passing, and the process by which Luke deals with grief. "When he's in mourning, he sort of… well..." She gestured her hand in a circle in front of her as if she was trying to stir up the right words out of thin air.

"I shut down," Luke supplied.

Lorelai snapped her fingers and then patted him appreciatively on the leg. "Yes, that's good." She turned back to the therapist. "He shuts down."

"I get into this funk where I just don't talk to anyone," Luke explained to Dr. Flint.

Lorelai took the opportunity to remind Dr. Flint about Luke's dark day, which they'd briefly discussed in one of their earlier sessions. "He gets moody in the funk, easily agitated," she said. "So, it's easier for him to just take a step back from everyone so he's not snapping at them."

Dr. Flint was quiet for a moment as his gaze shifted back and forth between Luke and Lorelai. "Do you snap at Lorelai when you're in this funk, Luke?"

"Not usually," Luke replied, then both men glanced over at Lorelai looking for validation to that answer.

"We've gotten our system pretty well oiled by now," Lorelai said. "When he needs time to himself, I step back and let him have some space, so there's not really anything to snap at. Hence the communication break."

"I see," Dr. Flint said.

"And that goes both ways," Lorelai added. "I mean, I get into those moods sometimes, too, for whatever reason, and Luke is good about giving me some time to myself. We know when the other person just needs time alone and we're respectful of that."

Dr. Flint nodded understandingly. "That's good." He paused a moment, looking hesitant about something, and then he continued, "I'm going to approach a delicate topic for just a moment. It's just the standard inquiry when someone mentions being moody or easily agitated, those sorts of things. Now, when either of you are in these funks or moods or whatever you want to call them, where you might be extra irritable… do things ever get physical? Violent?"

Lorelai let out a laugh as if the question was preposterous. "God, no!"

"Of course not," Luke replied. "Never."

Dr. Flint nodded. "Okay. I didn't sense that situation here at all, but it's part of the job to confirm." He made a note in his notebook. "So, let's talk about this funk that Luke goes through. Luke, you're okay with talking it out a little?"

"Yes."

"So, from what I understand, when something traumatic happens, like a death of a loved one whom you were very close to, you grieve by separating yourself from everyone else around you," Dr. Flint surmised. "Is that correct?"

"Pretty much," Luke replied.

"All right. Well, typically, grief stirs up a lot of emotions in a person, and most of us go through the five stages, as you're probably familiar with," Dr. Flint said. "And it can be extraordinarily comforting and beneficial to go through them with a partner instead of keeping everything bottled up. Have you ever tried opening up instead of shutting down?"

"This is how I've always dealt with it," Luke replied. "It's just always been the pattern."

"Okay. The important thing about patterns is that they're based on what has happened in the past, but you control whether they continue. You can stop the pattern of how you deal with grief, if you want to." Dr. Flint let that settle in for a moment before adding, "Now, you may not want to, and that's fine, since you both seem to be okay with this current process. But you do have a strong, solid partner with whom you're making great strides when it comes to being more open and communicative about everything. That's why maybe now might be the time to consider breaking that old pattern and try opening up."

Luke glanced at Lorelai, who nodded supportively. "It makes sense," she said softly. "We're talking more about everything else, maybe we could try to talk about this stuff, too... if you want to."

Luke was clearly hesitant. He exhaled a deep breath and glanced down at his hands in his lap. "I don't know."

"Can I ask what you're afraid of?" Dr. Flint asked calmly. "Fear is typically what stops us from trying to change, so what is it about this particular situation that you're afraid of?"

"I guess… I'm nervous that I might not be able to control my mood or hold back that funk from hitting me," Luke said, and then glanced over at Lorelai. "That maybe I'll be trying to talk with you and then my funk takes over and I get frustrated and end up snapping at you and starting a fight."

Lorelai reached over and affectionately squeezed his hand. "Well, it's only a fight if I snap back," she told him. "And I won't do that. If you feel the funk taking over, we'll end the conversation, that's it. It's done. But at least we know we _tried_ to talk about it."

"My suggestion is that when you find yourself in a situation where you get that urge to cut yourself off from everyone around you… hesitate," Dr. Flint said. "Go to your wife and try to talk to her about what you're feeling, try to talk to her about what thoughts are going through your head. It could be helpful for you."

Luke glanced at Lorelai, and then back at Dr. Flint, and he nodded. "Okay."

"And you might still need some time to yourself, some space to collect your thoughts, some time to just be sad," Dr. Flint added. "And that's okay, everyone needs some alone time. But my suggestion is to maybe try to reduce the amount of time you'd normally spend alone - instead of a couple of days, maybe just take a few hours. And also, I recommend that you talk to Lorelai about it afterwards, tell her what you thought about when you _were_ alone."

Luke nodded again. "Okay."

"Like I said, you both seem to be okay with the current process," Dr. Flint said. "So, it's not something that's necessarily urgent for you to change. It's just something to think about."

"Right, it's not a big deal the way it is," Lorelai said to Luke. "But maybe you'll discover that talking that stuff out actually makes the grieving process a little easier for you." She shrugged as she added, "It's worth a try. If it doesn't feel helpful to you, we'll stick to the old way."

Luke nodded. "Okay. We can give it a try next time."

. . . . .

. . . . .

They finished up their session and walked out to Luke's truck. As Lorelai was settling into the passenger seat and putting on her seatbelt, Luke said, "I'll tell you what I was thinking about."

Lorelai clicked her belt into place, then looked at him confusedly. "Huh?"

"About when I was in my funk last week," Luke explained.

Lorelai's eyes widened a little. "Oh..."

"Next time, I'll try to talk to you instead of just closing myself off, but the least I can do this time is tell you about what went on when I _was_ closed off. You know, to kind of make you feel apart of it, if you want."

Lorelai smiled and nodded encouragingly. "Okay."

Luke took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Well, sometimes my mind would just go blank and I'd think about nothing," he told her. "And sometimes I'd think about Buddy, memories of him and Maisy and what not. And sometimes that would lead me to start thinking about my parents."

He was quiet for a moment, and Lorelai waited patiently for him to continue.

"And a lot of the time, I thought about _you_ ," he finally said. "I thought about how hard it must've been for Buddy the past few years without Maisy, because I know I'd fall apart if anything happened to you. I wouldn't be able to function."

Lorelai frowned at him. "Aw, Luke."

"And then in the other direction, I thought about who would take care of you if something happened to _me_ first. Not that _you_ need to be taken care of, but you know what I mean... I wanna make sure everything's in order if something happens to me."

Lorelai nodded. "I get it. It's sweet that you think about that."

"It's depressing," Luke corrected her.

"A little bit," Lorelai agreed with a smile. "But it's part of the vows... you're thinking literally about the 'until death do us part' thing. It's almost romantic."

"Romantic?" Luke asked with a laugh. "Really?"

"Yeah, in a way," Lorelai said, nodding her head. "We can think of it as you being so in love with me that you're already worried about the day we might be torn apart. It's sweet."

Luke shrugged a little. "I guess that could be the less morbid spin on why death makes me think of you."

"It's kind of like when I'm watching a Lifetime movie about a wife who's trying to find out why her husband was mysteriously murdered," Lorelai told him. "And while I'm watching, I'll think about you and all the crazy stuff I'd do to solve the case if _you_ were murdered."

Luke smirked. "Okay, let the record show that your thoughts are way more morbid than my thoughts."

Lorelai smiled as she nodded in agreement. "A little, but it's me saying that I love you so much that I'd risk my own life and stop at nothing to find out the truth and bring the culprits to justice."

"I appreciate that, thanks."

"You're welcome," Lorelai said, and then she pondered for a moment. "Actually, a lot of those movies end with the husband having some sort of evil past or a secret second family in another state, and then the wife finds out her marriage to him was never legal, so..." Her voice trailed off and she eyed him suspiciously.

"Ours is legal," he promised. "No secret past or second family."

"Okay, good." Lorelai leaned closer to him and added, "But if you're murdered, I will stop at nothing to track down the truth, which means that all of your secrets are coming out, buddy."

Luke smirked. "Good thing there aren't any, then."

Lorelai kissed him, then pulled back with a smile and said, "Thanks for opening up and telling me what goes through your head."

"You're welcome."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**

 **Author's note:** Many thanks to the readers who are following along with this story, I appreciate it! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Officially Married - Chapter 7**

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Thursday afternoon, Lorelai stopped at the diner and headed behind the counter to pour herself a cup of coffee. Luke came out of the kitchen with some plates of food and greeted her as he walked past her to deliver them. He returned to her behind the counter and asked, "How's your day going?"

Lorelai secured the lid on her to-go cup. "So far, so good. I'm heading over to the annex to check on Tom and the gang. Construction guys like being watched and asked a ton of questions while they work, right?"

"Oh, yeah, they love it." He leaned back against the counter and folded his arms across his chest. "So, I got a call from Martin today. He needs me to come to his office to discuss Buddy's estate."

"Oh, wow," Lorelai said, her eyes widening a little. "Oh, it's probably about the house, right? Didn't they add your name to the deed or something years ago?"

"Yeah. That's probably what it's about, he didn't say... but I told him I'd stop by tonight."

"Okay. Rory's coming over for dinner," Lorelai reminded him. "And then she was gonna come with us to the town meeting."

"I know," Luke said. "Martin said he'll be at his office until 8 tonight. I figured I'd cook dinner and eat with you guys, and then head over to see him when you go to the meeting."

Lorelai feigned a sympathetic frown. "Oh, I bet you're probably devastated about missing the meeting."

"Terribly," he confirmed with a nod. "There might be some tears."

Lorelai smirked and leaned in to kiss him. "I gotta go ogle and catcall some construction workers. I'll see you tonight."

. . . . .

. . . . .

That night, Lorelai and Rory were sitting on the couch looking at apartment listings on the computer while Luke was cooking dinner in the kitchen.

"Maybe I should be looking for a townhouse," Rory said. "Don't some of them have a little grassy area out front? Kids like to play in the grass, don't they?"

"Yes, some of them," Lorelai replied. "You had a special aversion to wet grass though - you weren't a fan."

"And I'm still not," Rory declared as she scrolled past a dozen pictures of apartments. "I can't believe Grandma took the house off the market. Why did she do that? I told her specifically _not_ to do that."

"She didn't want you to feel pressure to move," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"It did the opposite though, it made me feel _more_ pressure," Rory said. "Because that initial knee-jerk reaction of, 'oh, good, there's no rush, I can focus on writing' quickly turned into a vision of me still at the house five years from now getting ready to send my kid off to kindergarten. I don't want to be the houseguest that stays forever because no one is forcing her to leave. So, now I have to force myself to leave."

Lorelai raised an eyebrow. "Hm. Maybe that was her evil plan all along."

"Lorelai, you wanna come set the table?" Luke called from the kitchen.

"Not really," she called back, then patted Rory on the leg. "Be right back."

Lorelai walked to the kitchen and inhaled deeply. "Mmm, smells good."

"It's almost ready," Luke replied from the stove. "What are you guys doing in there? Watching something?"

Lorelai pulled some silverware from the drawer. "No, we're looking on the computer at potential places for her to live. Apartment hunting, as the cool kids call it."

"Oh, yeah? In what areas?" Luke asked.

"Wherever the price seems right," Lorelai replied.

"But does it seem like she's trying to stay local?" Luke asked. "Or is she looking in New York?"

Lorelai smiled. "So far, it seems like she's trying to stay in Connecticut."

"Good, that's good," Luke replied. "Hopefully she'll be close enough for us to help her out with the baby when she needs it."

Lorelai nodded. "I think that's her plan... for now, anyway."

He glanced toward the living room, and then lowered his voice. "Did she say anything about Logan? Any updates on that front?"

"Just that he texted her the other day to say that he'd touch base with her soon." Lorelai shrugged. "So, I guess we'll see." She finished setting the table, helped Luke bring the food over to it, and then called Rory in from the living room.

As the three of them sat down at the table and started to eat, Luke asked Rory, "So, is the book taking up most of your time?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"With all of those embarrassing tales you have about Mama, I'm sure you can churn out a whole _series_ of books, huh?" Lorelai joked.

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I've definitely got a lot to work with in my head."

Lorelai paused for a moment, and then prompted her, "But? You sound like you want to add a _but_..."

Rory shrugged a little. "But it's not coming out as linear as it started to in the beginning."

"What do you mean?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, when I first started writing the book, the chapters were kind of flowing out of me in a sequential timeline," she explained. "But lately, I'll be writing something about a certain time frame, and then something else will pop into my head from another part of my life and I'll jump over to write about that before I forget, so it's a lot of back and forth."

"Well, that's okay," Lorelai said. "Better to have inspiration hitting you from all different angles than none at all, right?"

"Right. Yeah, it's good," Rory agreed. "I just have to make sure it all eventually flows together."

"It will," Lorelai said confidently. "Just keep writing, and then you'll figure out where it's all supposed to fit."

"If anyone can make it flow together, you can," Luke added.

Rory smiled appreciatively at the two of them. "Thanks." She reached for a piece of bread from the basket in front of her. "I also started doing some work for this website that posts all sorts of things about books... reviews, recommendations, articles about the best books in a certain genre, the best books to calm you down when you're feeling anxious... you know, things like that. It doesn't take up a ton of time, and it gets a little income flowing in."

"Sounds right up your alley," Luke said.

"Yeah, definitely. Send us the link so we can read your stuff," Lorelai said.

"I will," Rory promised, and then popped a piece of bread into her mouth. "So, are you guys doing anything special for Valentine's Day?"

Lorelai's eyes widened and she glanced over at Luke, who looked just as surprised. "Shoot. Is that coming up already?" she asked.

"Apparently," Luke replied.

"It's on Tuesday," Rory told them.

"I guess I've been a little distracted with London and the annex and the funeral and everything," Lorelai replied. "I totally lost track of the days."

"Me, too," Luke said.

"You should go out, it's your first married Valentine's Day," Rory told them.

"Well, it's probably too late to get a reservation now," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"I'm guessing eating at a restaurant as a married couple on Valentine's Day feels remarkably similar to doing it as a non-married couple," Luke pointed out.

Lorelai grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Well, you never know, because I can think of at least one other thing that felt remarkably better when we did it as a married couple. Which, if you think about it, is actually pretty shocking because it was _already_ pretty damn amazing, and -"

"Hi, your daughter is trying to eat dinner," Rory interrupted her. "And could you refrain from dirtiness in front of the fetus? It has ears."

Lorelai frowned. "Fine, sorry."

"Speaking of which, who actually knows about it?" Luke asked her. "The, uh... the fetus?"

"Just you guys, Grandma, Paris and Lane," Rory replied. "Oh, and Logan."

"The town's gonna notice soon," Lorelai said. "That little bump is hidden under the winter clothes, but once springtime hits... nowhere to hide it."

"I know. I figured I would tell them when it's more visible."

"Are you gonna find out the sex ahead of time?" Luke asked.

Rory was quiet for a moment as she picked at her food. "Um, I'm not sure about that."

Lorelai shared a look with Luke, then calmly asked Rory, "What's on your mind, kid?"

Rory shrugged. "It's gonna sound stupid."

"We won't think it's stupid," Lorelai assured her. "What's up?"

Rory pondered for a moment, trying to figure out how to best explain her thoughts. "Well, I think when I can officially go from calling it an _it_ to a _he_ or a _she_ , it's going to make things feel more... real? More... palpable? Impending? I don't know exactly what the right word is, and I'm not saying that it doesn't already feel real _now_ , but I think that might make it feel a little more... _something_. I don't know, but it's sort of a mental thing."

Lorelai reached over and squeezed Rory's hand. "I get it. It takes it to the next level of, 'wow, I'm gonna have a baby' and that might feel overwhelming and you might feel a little more stressed out."

"Yeah, exactly. And right now I'm trying to focus on writing as much as I can before it comes, so I'd like to hold off on increasing the stress levels for now."

"Makes sense," Luke said. "And it doesn't sound stupid."

Rory smiled at him. "Thanks."

They finished eating dinner and cleaned up the kitchen, and then the girls headed to the town meeting as Luke went to meet with the lawyer.

. . . . .

. . . . .

When Luke arrived home that night, Lorelai was on the couch watching television with Paul Anka curled up on the floor in front of her.

"Hey. Did Rory leave?" Luke asked as he took off his jacket. "Her car's not out there."

"Yeah, she was getting tired, so she headed home," Lorelai replied. "She said to tell you goodbye and to thank you again for dinner."

"Was she feeling okay?"

"Yeah, just tired." Lorelai patted the couch beside her and muted the television. "Come sit, tell me about your meeting."

Luke sat down on the couch, and Lorelai turned her body to face him, crisscrossing her legs in front of her. "It _was_ about the house... it's mine now," he said.

"Okay, what exactly does that mean?" Lorelai asked. "I assume that we have to start paying for it?"

"Yeah, but the mortgage was paid off years ago when Maisy's aunt left her that big inheritance," Luke reminded her. "They were only paying property taxes, insurance, utilities, stuff like that."

"Wow. So, what's the next step? Do you have to go clean out all of the stuff?"

"Yeah. Martin recommended this company that helps with that," Luke said. "You let them know what you want to keep, and they'll go through everything else and weed out things that can be donated, recycled, trashed, the whole works. They'll even hold an estate sale for you."

"Oh, cool, a one-stop shop... that's convenient."

"Yeah. I'll do a walkthrough of the house and take out any personal stuff, paperwork, pictures, things like that. Then I'll reach out to that company to handle the rest."

"What do you wanna do with the house when it's all cleaned out?" Lorelai asked. "Sell it? Flip it? Rent it out?" She gasped excitedly and started tapping his arm. "Ooh, ooh, we could be landlords… we could be the Ropers from _Three's Company_!"

Luke smirked at her excitement. "Well, I was actually thinking about it on the drive home, and came up with an idea I wanna talk to you about."

"Okay, shoot."

"Rory."

"Rory?"

"We'll offer it to Rory," Luke said. "She's looking for a place anyway, right? It's perfect timing. The house is in great shape, it has three bedrooms… one for her, one for the baby, and maybe the other could be an office to write in, or a guest bedroom. It has a nice yard… I could help her put up a swing set out back, or a sandbox, or whatever she wants. Plus, it's only a few minutes from here if she needs us for anything. It's perfect, don't you think?"

Lorelai was grinning at how much thought he'd already put into it. She reached out and squeezed his hand. "I _love_ that idea."

Luke smiled. "Yeah? You think _she_ will?"

Lorelai thought about it for a moment, and then exhaled a small sigh. "I'm not sure. She might feel weird about it, like it's charity or something. You saw how she was with my mom offering up her house."

"Well, it's not like we'll be giving her a completely free house," Luke said. "She'll still be paying for the utilities and stuff, buying her own food, the same things that she would be doing if she rented an apartment, but with more room to comfortably raise a kid in."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "I know, I get it, I'm with you. I just know that she might be prone to automatically reject something so generous."

"Well, we can still at least suggest it, right?" Luke asked.

"Definitely," she confirmed. "I think it's a great idea."

"We won't push it, we'll just present it as an option and let her decide," Luke said, and then thought for a moment before adding, "You know, maybe we should take her over to the house so she can see it in person."

"Oh, good idea," Lorelai said, nodding in agreement. "I'll invite her out to lunch with us this weekend and then we can stop by the house and show her. How's that?"

Luke smiled and nodded. "Sounds good."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next day, Lorelai was in her office at the Dragonfly when her cell phone rang. She picked it up and checked the screen to see who was calling, and saw a number she didn't recognize.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, Lor, it's me," a voice replied.

Only one person in Lorelai's life ever used that nickname for her. "Chris, hi. Didn't recognize the number."

"I'm calling from my work phone," he replied. "I got your email. Is it okay that I called instead of replying? It's just easier."

"It's fine, I figured you would. How are things?"

"Things are, uh… I don't know, they're there," he replied unenthusiastically. "How's married life treating you?"

"Pretty amazing, actually," Lorelai replied. "No complaints... not a one."

"Well, good, I'm glad you're happy. You deserve it."

"Thanks." They were quiet for a few seconds before Lorelai hesitantly asked, "So, um... you wanted to discuss Rory?"

"Yeah, I did," Chris replied. "Uh, well, you know about that book she's writing?"

Lorelai wasn't expecting him to mention the book, and it caught her off guard. "Oh, the book... yeah, yes, I know about the book."

"Have you read any of it?"

"Not yet, no," Lorelai replied. "Why?"

"I guess I'm starting to wonder if I'm gonna have to change my name."

Lorelai smirked. "Chris, you think your own daughter's going to slander you?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," he admitted.

"From what I understand, she's focusing on me and her - the mother/daughter bond."

"Yeah, well, to get to the mother/daughter stuff, wouldn't she have to also write about the absent father?"

"Chris, really, I wouldn't worry about it," Lorelai said sincerely. "I doubt she'll go into a lot of detail about that. How did you hear about the book? She told you?"

"Yeah, she came to my office a few months ago and mentioned it," he replied. "She was asking me how I felt about you raising her alone, about why I didn't fight you on it, about whether I thought it was the right move. It made me think she's got some built up anger or something that she's about to unleash on me through the book."

Lorelai processed his words, realizing that Rory's questions probably didn't have anything at all to do with the book. "When was this, when did you have this conversation?"

"I don't know, like the end of October, maybe early November." He paused a moment, and then clarified, "Oh, wait, it was a few days before your wedding because she... well, she told me not to go."

Lorelai smiled at the thought of Rory looking out for her, and then exhaled a deep breath. "Did she mention anything else going on with her besides the book?"

"Not that I remember. _Is_ there other stuff going on?"

"Listen, I think you need to talk to Rory and let her decide if she wants to fill you in on anything else that may or may not be going on," Lorelai told him. "And please don't ask me any follow up questions on that because I'm not saying a word... any information about her needs to come directly from her."

Chris sighed into the phone. "Nothing? You're giving me _nothing_ here?"

"Pretty much."

"At least tell me this... what's my reaction gonna be to whatever she may or may not have going on? Anger? Shock? Happiness?"

"Your reaction is going to be _supportive_ ," Lorelai told him firmly. "That's what your reaction should be."

"Supportive," Chris repeated.

"Yes. I have to get back to work, but talk to Rory, okay? Ask her how she's doing, ask about the book, see if she feels like opening up. And if she doesn't, just wait it out... she will eventually, I promise."

"Okay. Thanks, Lor."

"Bye, Chris."

. . . . .

. . . . .

That afternoon, Lorelai walked into a practically empty diner and sat at a table. Luke brought her coffee and a muffin, and per her request, sat down with her so she could fill him in on her morning. She told him about her call with Chris, and then about her call with Rory immediately after to tell her that Chris may be reaching out to her.

"I felt bad telling him to talk to her when I wasn't even sure if she wanted to tell him the news," Lorelai told Luke. "So, I had to call and prepare her, but she said she wasn't specifically _not_ telling him, she just hadn't gotten around to it yet. She wasn't upset with me or anything."

"Good."

"Oh, and I invited her out tomorrow for lunch and mani-pedi's," Lorelai told him. "So, we can stop by Buddy's house at some point, either before or after or in between."

"Okay." Luke paused a moment. "Wait, am _I_ getting a mani-pedi, too?"

Lorelai smirked. "You can if you want to, you deserve some pampering, too."

"Why don't you two go do that first, and then meet me at Buddy's? I'll head over there early and start going through some of his stuff."

"Okay." Lorelai leaned in to kiss him, then smiled against his lips. "I'll just find a way to pamper you myself."

Luke smiled. "Sounds good."

"Oh, what do you think we should do for Valentine's Day?" Lorelai asked him. "Because I was thinking maybe we could go to Sniffy's."

"I had that same thought, actually," he replied, smiling.

"Oh, good. We haven't gone and reminisced in awhile," Lorelai said. Every time they visited Sniffy's, they always spent most of the night nostalgically talking about their first date. She suddenly frowned and added, "It'll be our first time there after saying goodbye to Buddy... might be a little emotional."

"Yeah, it might be."

"But we'll just think about how he's finally getting to spend Valentine's Day with Maisy again," Lorelai said, trying to put a positive spin on it. "It's nice to think of them being reunited."

"Yeah," Luke agreed with a nod.

"And we're sticking to the usual gift policy, right?"

"Yup."

They'd had a longstanding agreement that Valentine's Day should never be about spending a lot of money on extravagant gifts. They typically celebrated with dinner, either out or at home, and exchanged cards and smaller gifts like candy, chocolate-covered treats, and bottles of wine or other alcohol.

"Okay." Lorelai smiled as she added, "And this year, we doubled our potential card choices because we're no longer shunned from the spouse section of the card rack."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh, good, so it'll take me twice as long to find one."

Lorelai comfortingly patted his arm. "Don't worry, the quality of the card you get me only plays a small part in my decision of whether or not you get lucky that night."

Luke smirked. "Good to know."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next day, Lorelai picked up Rory and they went to the nail salon, and afterwards, Lorelai drove to Buddy's house. Luke's truck was out front, and as Lorelai parked behind it, she told Rory, "We just have to grab Luke... come in with me for a minute."

They both got out of the Jeep and Rory looked confusedly at the house. "Why is Luke here? Who lives here?" She'd been to Sniffy's a few times over the years, but had never been to Buddy and Maisy's house.

"Well, no one at the moment," Lorelai replied, and they walked along the pathway toward the front door.

Luke was waiting inside the house for them and he pushed the door open before they even knocked. "Hey."

"Hey, Luke," Rory greeted him as she stepped into the house.

Lorelai followed behind her, greeting Luke with a kiss as she walked in, and he shut the door behind them.

"Cute place," Rory said, glancing around the living room.

"Yeah, this was Buddy and Maisy's house," Luke said, then waved for him to follow her. "Come with me, I want to show you around."

Rory gave a puzzled glance toward Lorelai, but then stammered, "Oh... okay, sure."

Lorelai stayed back in the living room and tucked her hands into the pockets of her pink coat. She was smiling to herself as she watched Luke show Rory around the first floor and then lead her toward the staircase to show her the upstairs. He was genuinely excited to be able to offer her the house and Lorelai was letting him take the lead.

When they came back down to the first floor, Lorelai asked her, "What do you think? Nice, huh?"

"Yeah, it's very nice," Rory replied. "It's a really cute house."

"We want you to have it," Luke blurted out.

Rory narrowed her eyes. "Have what?"

"The house," Luke told her. "We want you to have the house."

"What?" Rory said, confused. "What do you mean?"

They explained to her about how the house was now Luke's, and about how they agreed that it might be a good place for Rory.

"The neighborhood is great, the house isn't too big, but it's not tiny," Luke told her. "It's close to Stars Hollow, but not _right there_ if you wanted a little bit of a buffer. You can redecorate it however you want, get new furniture, really make it feel like _yours_ , you know?"

Rory had been watching them talk with a surprised look on her face, but hadn't said anything yet.

"Well, what do you think?" Lorelai asked her.

Rory shook her head slightly. "I'm just... I don't know," she said honestly. "I'm shocked. I'm still processing it."

"You don't have to decide right now," Luke said. "We just wanted you to see it in person so you could have a good visual of it."

Lorelai's cell phone rang, and she pulled it from her pocket to check the caller. "Oh, shoot, it's Tom," she said. "It might be important... hold on." She started walking toward the kitchen as she answered the phone.

"You like it, right?" Luke asked Rory.

"Yeah, I like it, it's great, but..." Rory shrugged unsurely. "It's a _house_. I can't accept a _house_ as a gift... it's way too much."

"Well, don't think of it as a gift," Luke said. "It's not like it's completely free, you'll still be paying for utilities and stuff, just like if you were renting an apartment or something. Except, in this case, you know the landlords really well and you're not locked into a lease. If you decide you want to move to New York next year or whatever, you have that flexibility to go whenever you want to. Plus, you have so much more space here than at an apartment. And it has a nice yard, which your mom said you were looking for."

Rory nodded. "That's true, I do want a yard."

"I already told her I could put up a swingset, if you want," Luke added. "Or a sandbox."

"But I feel like this isn't fair to you guys," Rory told him. "You and mom could sell this house and make a nice profit. If I move in, you miss out on that opportunity."

Luke shook his head. "That's not important to us. Look, I'm not one to throw around that _fate_ word like your mom does, but I'll say it's a damn big coincidence that this happened right when you were looking for a place of your own."

Rory glanced around the living room. "It _is_ a nice place."

"And like I said, it doesn't have to be long-term, but at least you'll be nice and settled while you finish up the book and get ready to have this baby," Luke told her. "You can just relax and focus on those things for now, and if you eventually decide that you wanna move out, then we'll sell it or maybe rent it out to someone else, who knows?"

Lorelai walked back into the room. "Sorry about that, some miscommunication about the sauna. What'd I miss?"

Luke glanced at Rory, then at Lorelai. "I think she's mulling it over."

"Yeah, I'm mulling," Rory confirmed, and then she exhaled a deep breath. "It's a lot to take in. Can I just think about it for a few days?"

"Sure," Luke replied. "The house still has be cleaned out and everything anyway, so there's no rush."

"Let's go to lunch," Lorelai said, putting her arm around Rory. "It'll be a completely house-free conversation. We can fill Luke in on the overly gossipy manicurists we had today."

. . . . .

. . . . .

After lunch, Luke headed back to Buddy's house to do some more cleaning, and Lorelai drove Rory back to Emily's. They stopped at a Hartford bakery along the way to pick up a cheesecake to satisfy Rory's sudden craving for it.

As they sat at the island in the kitchen with slices of cheesecake in front of them, Lorelai commented, "This is very _Golden Girls_ of us."

"Thank you for being a friend," Rory sang.

They chatted for a bit as they ate, and then Lorelai exhaled a deep breath before hesitantly asking, "Listen, can I impose some motherly wisdom for you to just keep in the back of your mind?"

"Yup, but if it's good, it might go in the book," Rory joked.

Lorelai smiled. "That's okay." She cleared her throat. "So, you're at a point in your life where every decision you make doesn't just affect you, but that kid in there, too."

"I know."

"I just wanna make sure that you know that if the right decision means you have to accept help from other people, that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that."

Rory shrugged. "Well, considering that I've been crashing at other people's houses for a year, I'd say I've gotten pretty good at relying on other people."

"I know, but I don't want you to ever feel bad or weird about it," Lorelai told her. "Think about how me accepting some help from Mia changed our lives. She took us in out of the goodness of her heart... she gave me a job, gave us a home, gave me a chance to create a life for you, you know?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I talk about her a little in the book."

"Good. And remember, she didn't help us because she wanted something in return or wanted us to owe her anything, she just wanted us to succeed." Lorelai reached out and patted Rory's hand. "And you, my daughter, are surrounded by people who want to help _you_ succeed... people who just want you to be happy and who don't expect anything in return."

Rory smiled. "I know."

"And this isn't just about the house," Lorelai continued. "You can take the house, not take the house, whatever you want. But I want you to make that decision based on whether or not you think it's a place that you can be happy, and don't be influenced by the fact that you think it's too generous an offer. Okay?"

Rory nodded understandingly. "Okay. I promise I will think it over and make a well-informed, thought-out decision."

Lorelai smiled. "Good."

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Tuesday night, Luke and Lorelai were upstairs getting ready to go to Sniffy's for their Valentine's Day dinner. As Lorelai walked out of the bathroom and over to the closet, she asked, "Any specific outfit request for tonight? Black dress? Red dress? Black dress on top of the red dress because you feel like seeing me in a layered dress?"

"Jeans are fine," Luke replied.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Jeans, really? On Valentine's Day?"

"That's what you wore the first time we went there, so it's nostalgic," he pointed out. "You love that."

"Yes, I do."

"Plus, Sniffy's isn't very fancy anyway," he said with a shrug. "You'll be more comfortable in jeans, _and_ you look great in 'em."

"Okay, all good points, and you get extra credit for the flattery," Lorelai replied. "Jeans it is."

Luke finished getting dressed and then went downstairs to wait for her. Lorelai dressed up the jeans with a nice blouse, heels, and jewelry, and then grabbed a purse and headed downstairs.

Sniffy's still looked the same under the new management. Luke knew the new owner, an old friend of Buddy and Maisy's, and greeted him warmly when they walked in. They were seated at a table and took a few minutes to peruse their menus. They ordered their meals, and each took a warm roll from the basket the waitress had brought.

Lorelai buttered hers and took a bite. "Are you going to whip out your secret weapon of seduction tonight?"

Luke smirked and rolled his eyes. "I've told you a thousand times, it wasn't part of any seduction plan."

Lorelai snickered. "Oh, please. You knew that once you pulled out that horoscope, I'd be putty in your hands. That's why you planned for Caesar to open up the diner the next morning, you knew you'd wave that little piece of paper in front of me and I'd be all over you."

Luke was smiling amusedly. "Not true."

Lorelai took a sip from her water glass. "For the record, the night probably would've ended the same way even without the horoscope... but I might've played a little harder to get, maybe let you take me to the movie first."

Luke smirked. "I really didn't think your response to me suggesting a movie after dinner would be, 'Let's just get a bottle of champagne and go back to your place.'"

Lorelai grinned. "Putty in your hands."

"That was the longest ten minute drive of my life." He broke off a piece of his roll and popped it into his mouth. "I'll never forget pulling your jeans down your legs that first time... it was like unwrapping a present."

"And I'll never forget what you said to me right before you took them off," Lorelai said, smiling at him. "We had been all over each other for a few minutes and it was blatantly clear where the night was headed. I unbuckled my belt and unzipped my jeans, and you were about to help pull them off..." She paused a moment. "But then you stopped. We were both panting like crazy, all revved up, and you looked me in the eyes and said... 'are you sure?'"

Luke was listening intently with a small smile on his lips as she described the moment - one he remembered as if it had just happened yesterday.

Lorelai shook her head in disbelief. "It threw me for a second, in this completely amazing way. Even in the throes of passion, you were a complete gentleman and made sure I wanted to keep going. It was really sweet."

"Yeah, well... I'm glad that you _did_ want to keep going because it might've killed me to have to stop right then."

"Man, that was quite a night. We know how to make a first date memorable, huh?"

"That we do," he agreed, and then he shrugged nonchalantly before adding, "By the way... if you wanted to maybe, possibly head to the apartment after dinner tonight, I can confirm that someone maybe, possibly went up and put fresh sheets on the bed today, just in case."

Lorelai smiled and cocked her head to the side. "I would maybe, possibly... love that."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Later that night, they went up to the apartment, and their coats and shoes were off within seconds. Lorelai pulled him over to the couch, and what started off as gentle kissing soon became more passionate and intense. Their shirts and her bra came off, and their hands began fervently roaming each other's bodies.

After a few minutes, they moved over to the bed. Lorelai lay on her back with her head against the pillow, and Luke took off his pants before joining her. He straddled her legs with his knees and leaned over her body. His mouth spent time on her lips, then her neck, then her chest, and every moan, groan, and whimper of pleasure that left her lips made him more aroused.

Luke finally sat back on his knees and let his hands smooth down the front of her body until he reached her jeans. He unbuttoned and unzipped them, and as he slipped his fingers into the waistband to pull them down, he paused, cocked his head to the side, and smiled down at her. "Are you sure?" he asked her.

Lorelai smiled and nodded her confirmation. "Still a gentleman."

"Sometimes," he joked, and he pulled her jeans and underwear down her legs. He tossed them aside, then surveyed her body from top to bottom, and with an approving smile, he said, "Still sexy."

Lorelai smiled and beckoned him toward her. He covered her body with his, kissing her hungrily as his hardness pressed against her through his boxers. Lorelai slipped her hands down the back of them and caressed his cheeks, and she smiled against his lips. "Still firm."

Luke smirked and pressed a trail of kisses down the center of her body. He began gently kissing her inner thighs and worked his way toward her center, which by now was throbbing with arousal and desperately craving his attention.

Lorelai moaned when he made contact with her sex, and her moans grew louder as he began to stroke her clit with his tongue. "Oh, God, Luke." She lifted her head from the pillow for a better view of him, and affectionately ran her fingers through his hair as she murmured, "Still talented."

His mouth lavished her with attention for a few minutes, repeatedly bringing her to the edge without letting her go over, and her passionate moans were driving him crazy with desire.

When he finally pulled away from her, she let her head fall back against the pillow with a heavy sigh. "Still _very_ talented."

Luke pushed off his boxers and Lorelai sat up on the bed, gesturing for him to lie on his back. He obliged, and she moved down between his legs. She wrapped her hand around his hardness and leaned down to take him into her mouth.

Luke grunted his approval and reached his hands toward her head. He brushed her hair to the side and watched as her lips began moving up and down his length. She spent a few minutes focused on giving him as much pleasure as she could until he squeezed her shoulder and muttered, "Lorelai..."

She was soon on her back and he was on top of her, guiding himself to her opening. They both groaned as he started thrusting into her, and his pace became a little faster and harder with each thrust. He leaned down to kiss her, then dipped his head down to caress her breasts with his mouth, and Lorelai arched into him, moaning with pleasure.

When he pulled his mouth away from her chest, he watched her face as he slid his hand down between her legs. Lorelai inhaled sharply and closed her eyes as his fingers brushed against her clit. Arousal had been building up in every inch of her body and she was ready to explode. "Yes, Luke," she panted. "Yes, right there..."

His fingers moved in circles against her clit until her climax washed over her, leaving her body trembling and breathless beneath him. Once she had calmed, he resumed thrusting into her until he found his own release. Before rolling off of her, he pressed his lips to hers for a deep kiss and then pulled back with a tired smile.

Lorelai was smiling up at him. "Still rollicking."

"Yup," Luke agreed, and then moved to lie beside her.

Lorelai snuggled up against him and they pulled the comforter up over their bodies. "You know, for this to be considered an official homage to our first date, I'm going to have to walk into the diner tomorrow morning pantsless."

"In _my_ shirt."

"Yup."

"Well, we have to get home to Paul Anka tonight, so we're gonna have to come back in the morning to finish that part."

"Okay, but my legs are gonna be _awfully_ cold on that car ride."

Luke smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Still crazy."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Officially Married - Chapter 8**

. . . . .

. . . . .

When Lorelai arrived home from work on Friday night, she walked to the kitchen asking, "Okay, how important is it for an inn to serve food anyway? Can't we just send the guests into town for food? It's not that far."

Over the past few days, she and Michel had been reviewing resumes of candidates for the permanent chef position at the Dragonfly.

Luke was preparing dinner at the stove and he looked over at her with a sympathetic look. "Still no luck with the resumes?"

Lorelai sighed as she took off her coat and sat down at the table. "No, it's like a crap shoot. They all look the same on paper, so how am I supposed to know if they're actually as good as they sound, short of inviting them in and having them prepare every dish on the menu just to make sure?"

"You don't," Luke replied with a shrug. "So, if that's what'll make you feel better, have them do that."

"Have them prepare every dish on the menu so we can taste-test them?" Lorelai asked. "That seems like such a waste of money."

"A bigger waste of money is you hiring an incompetent chef and disappointing your customers and then losing business," he pointed out.

Lorelai covered her face with her hands and groaned. "Ugh, I know."

Luke walked over to her and rubbed her shoulders. "What can I do to help?"

Lorelai dropped her hands from her face and looked up at him. "Nothing, it's okay, I'm just whining."

"Maybe you need a fresh set of eyes," Luke suggested. "I can take a look at the resumes, see if anything jumps out at me as good, bad, whatever. Maybe we can narrow them down."

Lorelai smiled at him. "Really?"

"Sure."

"Okay, I'll bring them home tomorrow. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Luke affectionately squeezed her shoulders, then walked over and opened the oven door to check on the food. "So, what else happened today?"

"I noticed more signs for the Firelight Festival went up."

"Yeah." He shut the oven door and glanced over at her, and she was staring at him with hopeful eyes. He smiled. "What?"

"You'll go, right?" she asked.

"Don't I always?"

"Yes, after you pretend for awhile that you don't want to."

"Trust me, it's not pretend," he muttered. "But yes, I'll go."

"Hey, open communication now," Lorelai reminded him. "If you don't want to go, you can tell me and I will respect your decision. I'm not gonna make you go." She calmly folded her hands on the table in front of her. "Come on, let's discuss it."

Luke looked at her for a moment and thought about how the simple task of walking around with her at a town event made her happy, and then shrugged a little, admitting, "I guess I don't really mind going."

Lorelai smiled. "Thought so." She stood up and started to set the table as she filled him in on a few other things that had happened during the day.

As she was pouring glasses of wine, her cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her purse. She checked to see who was calling, announcing, "It's Rory." She answered the phone as she sat down at the table. "Hey, hon."

"Hey, Mom," Rory greeted her. "Are you busy?"

"No, just waiting for Luke to finish making dinner. What's up?"

"Well, Dad finally called me," Rory replied.

"Oh, you heard from Chris," Lorelai said to subtly give Luke some insight into the conversation. "What'd he say? Did you tell him the news?"

"I told him the news," Rory confirmed. "He was surprised, obviously."

"Oh, well, welcome to the club," Lorelai joked. "How much did you tell him?"

"He knows who the father is," Rory replied. "He also knows that I'm not _with_ the father. I left it at that."

"Okay. Was he... supportive?" Lorelai hesitantly asked.

"Yeah, he was. He congratulated me and was asking some questions," Rory replied. "I told him I was looking for a place to live so that I could get out of Grandma's house, and he offered to buy me a house."

"Oh... he offered to buy you a house," Lorelai said loudly, making pointed eye contact with Luke across the kitchen. "Well, that was a nice offer."

Luke sat down at the table next to Lorelai, suddenly very intrigued by the conversation.

"Yeah, he even offered to buy Grandma's house so I could just stay here and not have to move," Rory said, then added, "Not that she would sell it to him. She'd just give it to me herself like she already tried to."

"Wow," Lorelai replied. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised... he's always offering up big stuff like that."

"Yeah," Rory replied.

"Like what?" Luke whispered.

"Uh, like offering to buy Grandma's house for you to live in," Lorelai continued to Rory, for Luke's benefit.

"Why are you repeating everything?" Rory asked Lorelai.

"Oh, no reason." Lorelai covered the mouthpiece and whispered to Luke, "This is my fault, isn't it? I told him to call her and now he's gonna buy her some mansion that makes the house we offered look like a dollhouse."

Luke shrugged. "It is what it is. As long as she gets a place that makes her happy."

"Mom, is Luke right there?" Rory asked. "Is that why you keep repeating things?"

"Uh, maybe, possibly," Lorelai replied, wrinkling her nose at having been caught. "Sorry, I was keeping him in the loop."

"It's okay. Can you put the phone on speaker?" Rory asked.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Uh, sure." She shrugged confusedly at Luke and set the phone on the table before tapping the speakerphone button. "Okay, it's on."

"Hi, Luke," Rory greeted him.

"Hey, Rory," Luke replied.

"So, I was telling Mom that my dad knows that I'm pregnant and that I'm looking for a place to live," Rory explained. "And he offered to buy me something... he even said he would buy Grandma's house from her if I wanted."

"That was nice of him," Luke said.

"And Mom, I know we had that talk the other day about how I shouldn't feel bad about accepting help from people," Rory continued.

Lorelai exhaled softly before supportively replying, "Right. You shouldn't, not at all."

"So, if it's okay... I think I _will_ take Buddy and Maisy's house," Rory said. "If your offer still stands."

Lorelai shot a surprised look at Luke as she replied, "Really? You want it?"

"Yeah," Rory said. "I've been thinking about it a lot this week, and it's a cute place, not too big, it's close to Stars Hollow... I think it'll be a good fit."

Lorelai and Luke exchanged smiles. "We do, too," Lorelai replied.

"It's in the process of getting cleaned out, but it should be ready for you in a couple of weeks," Luke told her.

"Thank you," Rory said sincerely. "I really appreciate it... it's one less thing to worry about."

"We're really glad you're taking it," Luke said.

"Me, too. And I was thinking, I might see if Dad will help me furnish it," Rory said. "I mean, he's been trying to offer up money for years and I never take it, but... I don't know, maybe now's the time to take him up on something."

"I think that's a good idea," Lorelai said sincerely. "And then we can go on some shopping trips to pick out furniture and stuff."

"Yeah, that'd be fun," Rory said. "Okay, I'll let you guys go eat dinner."

Luke's eyes widened, having forgotten that he was in the middle of cooking. "Oh, shoot." He jumped up from the table and rushed over to turn the oven off.

Lorelai giggled as she watched him open the oven door. "Well, we might be getting takeout now, but goodnight, hon."

"Night, Rory," Luke called.

"Bye, guys," Rory said.

Lorelai hung up the phone. "Is that salvageable?" she asked, gesturing to the dish he'd pulled from the oven.

"Yeah, it seems fine," he confirmed, poking at it with a spatula.

"Okay." Lorelai was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. She took a sip of her wine before she said, "I felt so anxious when I thought that she was maybe gonna take him up on a house."

"I did, too," he admitted.

"I feel bad for _how badly_ I didn't want her to do that. I mean, if she did, I would've supported that decision, obviously," Lorelai continued. "But I've been excited all week thinking about the possibility of her being so close by at Buddy and Maisy's house, and when I thought it might not happen, I felt this wave of disappointment."

Luke nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I get that, I felt the same way. I'm really glad she took it... I think she'll be happy there. "

Lorelai smiled and nodded in agreement. "Me, too."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Over the next two weeks, Luke finished going through Buddy and Maisy's house. He kept a few personal items for himself, put aside a few pieces of furniture that Rory had decided to keep in the house, and then contacted the company Martin had recommended to arrange an estate sale for the remaining items.

Lorelai started interviewing some chefs to take over full-time at the Dragonfly, and on Friday night, as Luke and Lorelai walked around the Firelight Festival, she was telling him about the latest candidate.

"She was great at the savory stuff, but her desserts weren't that good," Lorelai said. "All of the people we've interviewed so far have been better at one or the other. Why can't anyone be great at both like Sookie is?" She paused and added, "Or Sookie _was_..."

"You can say _is_ , she's still alive," Luke said with a smile.

"But I haven't tasted her food in awhile... who knows if she's still as excellent as she used to be?"

"I'm sure she'll always be excellent," Luke said. "She's probably gotten even better."

Lorelai frowned at him. "Way to rub salt in the wound." They stopped at the Founder's Day punch to get her a cup, and she took a long sip. "Mmm, that's good."

"You wanna get closer to the fire?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded and they headed toward the fire. They stood talking for a few minutes before Lorelai's cell phone rang, and she saw Emily's name on the screen. "Hello?" she answered.

"Lorelai, do you have a minute?" Emily greeted her.

"I do. Everything okay?"

"I wanted to let you know that Rory told me that she's going to be moving out of the house, so I'm putting it back on the market in a few weeks," Emily said. "My realtor already has an interested buyer, so it's probably going to go fast. I just wanted to make sure you've gotten anything out of the house that you wanted to keep."

Lorelai thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so. I went through and brought home a few things when you first put it up for sale."

"All right."

Emily was silent for a moment, then Lorelai heard her sigh softly into the phone.

"Uh... you okay, Mom?" Lorelai asked.

"Richard loved that house," Emily replied wistfully.

Lorelai frowned sympathetically. "I know, Mom. But you're happy in Nantucket and that's what Dad would want. Yes, he loved the house, and yes, a lot of memories happened there, but the memories are with _you_ , not the house."

Emily sighed softly again. "I know, you're right. It's just sad to say goodbye." She took a deep breath. "Anyway, I'll be coming into town in a few weeks to finalize things on the house. I was thinking maybe us girls could get together for one more Friday night dinner there."

Lorelai smiled. "Sure, Mom. Let me know when."

"Okay. Goodnight, Lorelai."

"Bye, Mom." Lorelai hung up the phone and slipped it into her pocket.

"Everything okay?" Luke asked.

"Mom said the house will be back on the market soon and will probably sell fast, and she wants to have one last Friday night dinner there when she comes to town in a few weeks." She playfully nudged him. "Sounds like a girls-only dinner, so no need to start thinking up an excuse not to go."

Luke smiled, and then gestured to the nearby food stands. "What do you feel like?"

"Funnel cake," Lorelai replied, and they walked over to stand in line for it. "So, what do I do about the chefs? Just settle for one that makes good meals but okay desserts?"

"You could keep looking," Luke suggested. "There's gotta be another Sookie out there."

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know if there is."

"Well, there's one person who might know..."

"Rachael Ray's not taking my calls anymore," Lorelai said sadly.

"No, I mean Sookie," Luke said. "Maybe she can recommend someone."

Lorelai shrugged. "I would feel bad asking her for help replacing her."

"It's been two years, she'll understand," Luke reminded her. "It's not like you're asking her the day after she left."

Lorelai took a sip of her punch, and then nodded. "Maybe. I'll think about it."

They bought a funnel cake and sat down on a bench to eat it. Lorelai's cell phone rang again, and she gasped. "Geez, your wife is very popular tonight. Hold this?" she said, offering him the plate.

He took it from her, and Lorelai answered the phone after checking to see who was calling. "Hey, hon."

"Hey, Mom," Rory replied, then paused a moment. "Where are you? I hear people in the background."

"Luke and I are at the Firelight Festival."

"Oh, shoot, I'm sorry, I forgot that was tonight."

"Don't worry about it, it's fine," Lorelai assured her. "What's up?"

"Well, remember when he said he would touch base soon? He finally touched base."

"Touched base, touched based," Lorelai repeated, trying to jog her memory about what that meant, and then her eyes widened. "Oh, you heard from Logan?"

Luke's ears perked up beside her, and he leaned in closer.

"Yes. He called to talk to me about what his plan is," Rory replied.

Lorelai inhaled a deep breath. "And?"

"Well, he said he knew right away that it would be insane to try to be involved from London," Rory told her. "So, he's going to come back here."

Lorelai gasped with surprise. "Are you serious?"

"What, what," Luke whispered.

"He said he's going to try to get a job in New York," Rory continued. "But he has some projects he's working on in London that he doesn't want to just up and leave in the middle of, so he doesn't know the time frame of when he would be coming back yet. Probably not for a few months."

"Wow. What about the fiancée?"

"Well... he said he broke off the engagement," Rory told her.

Lorelai's eyes widened and she shook her head slightly. "Wow."

Luke had been watching Lorelai and was dying to know what was happening. "What's wow?" he whispered. "What are you wowing?"

"He said he didn't give her all the details, and that she was surprised, but that she took it better than he expected," Rory continued. "His dad, on the other hand..."

"Uh oh."

"He was upset with him, to say the least," Rory said. "It was kind of a big deal for their two families to be connected."

"Does his family know about the baby?" Lorelai asked.

"Only his sister so far," Rory replied. "And Colin, Finn, and Robert."

"Wow." Lorelai shook her head a little. "This is not news that I was expecting to hear tonight... I'm trying to wrap my mind around it."

"I know, I was in shock," Rory said. "I still am. The old Logan would have taken a trip to Tijuana just to avoid dealing with all of this. This is like the Twilight Zone."

"Well, you guys aren't in college anymore," Lorelai said. "He's taking responsibility... he sounds determined to do right."

"Yeah, he does," Rory agreed.

"He also sounds like he was ready to make some changes to his life, you know? Maybe he needed something big to come along to help him figure out that it was time for a change."

"You know, Luke said something similar to that on Christmas," Rory said.

Lorelai smiled at Luke, who was still staring at her anxiously awaiting an update. "Yes, well, we're both very wise."

"I agree."

"So, how do you feel right now?" Lorelai asked her. "I know you're in shock, but what else are you thinking?"

Rory took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "This is gonna sound bad, but honestly, I was torn for awhile between wanting him to be involved and wanting him to just kind of let me do this on my own," she admitted. "But I do think it's important for the baby to get to know its father, so I guess I'm feeling a little relieved that it'll have that chance."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, that's good." She paused a moment. "So, him canceling the engagement is... interesting, huh?"

"I know where you're going with that, Mom, and he didn't mention it," Rory told her. "He just said he ended the relationship, and made no reference to starting one up with anyone else."

"Okay, I was just wondering if it came up."

"No, and my feelings on that topic are the same now as they were when we discussed it in London," Rory told her. "Confused, uncertain... it's just emotionally complicated."

"Right."

"Yeah. Well, I just wanted to give you that update, I'll let you get back to the festival," Rory said. "Say hi to Luke for me."

"Okay. Bye, hon."

Lorelai hung up the phone and looked at Luke, who was staring at her expectantly. She filled him in on the details, and as Luke digested them, a perplexed look appeared on his face.

"What's with the face?" Lorelai asked him. "This is a good thing, isn't it? I _thought_ it was good, but your face is making me question that."

Luke nodded. "It is, it's a good thing... if he's doing all this for the right reason."

"Like... for the baby versus for Rory?" Lorelai asked.

Luke nodded. "Yeah. He's doing all of this now and making big changes and everything. But what if he approaches the relationship topic and she doesn't want that? Is he gonna stop putting in the effort for the baby?"

"I don't know," Lorelai replied. "But I have that same thought in the back of my mind."

"It's like how Chris wanted to marry you when you got pregnant. You said no, and he didn't put in as much effort as he should have when it came to Rory."

Lorelai snapped her fingers like a lightbulb had turned on in her head. "See, _that's_ why we both went to the same thought," she realized. "Because that's the scenario that we have in the back of our heads, that's the one we know. We have to shake that off. They're different situations... different ages, different people, different relationships. Let's just try to keep an open mind and not expect the worst."

Luke nodded in agreement. "Okay, yeah, you're right. Maybe he's making a really mature decision to be a good father and to be there for the kid, whether or not he's with Rory."

"Right, exactly," Lorelai agreed, nodding her head. "It'll be fine."

"Yup, fine." They stared at each other for a moment, both with slightly concerned looks on their faces. Finally, Luke asked, "More punch?"

Lorelai quickly nodded. "Definitely more punch."

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Sunday afternoon, Lorelai walked into the diner and headed behind the counter to help herself to coffee, and Luke narrowed his eyes when she started pouring a second cup.

"One's for Donald," Lorelai explained as she put lids on the cups.

"Oh. Where is he?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded toward the window. "He's out there with Sherlock and Paul Anka. We ran into each other walking the dogs, and we're gonna go to the park for a little bit."

"Okay." Luke looked out the window and saw Donald holding the two leashes. "You want some snacks?" he asked her, gesturing to the cookies on the counter under the glass dome.

Lorelai smiled. "Yes, please." Luke put a couple of cookies into a bag and handed it to her. "Thank you," she said. "How's your day going?"

"Not bad," Luke replied, and he checked his watch. "Closing up in a few hours. You'll be home for dinner?"

"Yup. I'll see you at home." Lorelai leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, then pulled back, grinning. "By the way, Donald said you remind him of a couple of guys he dated during his lumbersexual phase."

"What the hell is a lumbersexual?"

"I've explained it to you before... _you are_ ," Lorelai told him. "I think the word was coined after you personally."

Luke looked confused and he shook his head slightly. "You'll have to remind me again later."

"Will do."

As Lorelai walked out of the diner, she held the door open for Kirk, who approached Luke at the counter.

"Luke, I have a proposition for you," Kirk said.

"Not now, Kirk," Luke replied, and he started wiping down the counter with a dishtowel.

"No, really, I think you're gonna like this one," Kirk told him.

"I probably won't," Luke replied.

"How would you like to install a self-serve ice cream machine in the diner?"

Luke narrowed his eyes. "You're selling self-serve ice cream machines?"

"No, I just thought it would be a good idea for you to get one," Kirk replied. "Lulu and I really like ice cream."

"You can just go next door for ice cream," Luke said, gesturing to Taylor's shop.

"I like getting my own ice cream and watching it swirl around and around as it fills the dish," Kirk replied.

"Not interested, Kirk," Luke replied. "There's no room for one here anyway."

"You think Lorelai will want one at the new Dragonfly?" Kirk asked. "Or the old Dragonfly? Or your house?"

" _Want_ one for herself? Yes," Luke replied. "Actually get one? Probably not."

Kirk stood up from the counter. "Fine. I'm gonna go see if Al will get one."

"See you later," Luke said, and the phone started to ring on the wall behind him. "Luke's," he answered.

"There you are," Liz greeted him. "You weren't answering your cell."

"Hey, Liz," Luke replied. "Yeah, I forgot it at home. What's up?"

"I know it's last minute, but is there any way Doula can come over and hang out with you guys?" Liz asked him. "We're about to go to dinner with some friends in Waterbury, but she really doesn't wanna go."

"She feeling okay?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, she said she feels fine," Liz replied. "But she's kind of like you sometimes, big brother... just likes to hang out at home instead of socializing."

"Yeah, I get that," Luke replied. "Sure, we'll watch her... no one's at the house right now, just bring her by the diner."

"Thank you," Liz said sincerely. "We owe you."

"You owe me nothing," Luke replied. "I'll see you soon." He hung up with Liz, and then called Lorelai to tell her they were gonna have company that evening.

. . . . .

. . . . .

That night, as Luke and Doula arrived home with pizza, Lorelai walked to the foyer to greet them. "Hey, there's my favorite ten year old," Lorelai said as she leaned down to hug Doula.

"Hi, Aunt Lorelai," Doula said. "We brought pizza."

"Just what I was hoping for," Lorelai said. "Why don't you take it to the coffee table while Uncle Luke and I grab plates and drinks? Apple juice sound good?"

Doula nodded, took the pizza box from Luke, and headed into the living room.

Lorelai smiled at Luke. "Hi."

"Hey." He kissed her, and they walked together to the kitchen.

"So, before I forget, what are your thoughts on getting a self-serve ice cream machine for the house?" Lorelai asked.

Luke smirked. "You run into Kirk today?"

"Yes, and now that he planted this idea in my head, I can't get it out. It would be so convenient to be able to have ice cream any time I want it!" she said excitedly.

"You _do_ have ice cream any time you want it," Luke pointed it out.

Lorelai frowned at him. "A, I hear that judging tone in your voice, and B, I have to scoop it out myself, ugh... it's so much work."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I don't think an ice cream machine is something we need."

Lorelai sighed. "Fine." She gestured toward the living room, lowering her voice. "How's uncle/niece time been going?"

Luke nodded affirmatively. "Good, it's been good. She was doing a little waitressing for a while, she was having fun."

"Did she mention why she didn't want to go out?" Lorelai whispered.

"Nah, and I didn't bring it up," Luke replied. "The kid likes to stay home, nothing wrong with that."

Lorelai smiled and rubbed his arm. "Runs in the family, huh?"

"Yup. How was the park?" Luke asked her.

"It was good," Lorelai replied. "I had to play therapist."

"How come?"

"Donald's having some guy troubles," Lorelai replied. "I gave him some patented Lorelai Gilmore relationship advice. You know, meet a guy, fall in love, get engaged, break it off, get back together for a minimum of nine consecutive years, then tie the knot."

Luke smirked. "Good advice."

"He seemed to feel a little better by the end," Lorelai said. "Oh, and he invited me to his birthday party in a few weeks. Well, he invited both of us, actually, but I told him with your work schedule, you might not be able to make it, just in case you needed an out... you're welcome."

"Thank you."

"But you can come if you want to," Lorelai told him. "He's renting out the back room at this club or restaurant or something in Woodbury. No pressure, I know you don't like parties, but it might be fun."

"I'll think about it," Luke told her.

They brought the plates and drinks into the living room and sat on the couch to eat. Lorelai turned on the television. "So, Doula, any viewing requests?" Lorelai asked her.

"Cartoons," Doula replied.

"Okay, cartoons it is," Lorelai said, and she started scrolling through Netflix. "You know, in my day, you could only watch cartoons on Saturdays... that was the only day of the week they were on television."

Doula's eyes widened. "Whoa."

"Luckily, the world has made many important advancements in cartoon culture since then," Luke remarked.

Lorelai smiled at him over Doula's head. "Yes, we're very lucky."

A little while later, as they started to clean up dinner, Lorelai said to Doula, "Hey, why don't you go scope out my nail polish collection in the bathroom, pick your favorite color, and I'll do your nails."

Doula jumped up from the couch. "Okay! Can we do one color on each hand?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Sure."

As Doula ran off, Luke and Lorelai went to the kitchen. Luke took the pizza box out to the trash can on the back porch, and when he came back in, he said, "You're always so good with her."

Lorelai shrugged. "Well, it's easy... she's so sweet." She smiled and added, "You're good with her, too... she loves her Uncle Luke."

Luke smiled and nodded. "Yeah, she's a good kid."

"And I love that she wanted to watch cartoons and not some show about teenagers that she's not quite old enough for," Lorelai said.

"Well, cartoons are probably her dad's favorite genre, so it's what she's used to," Luke said.

Doula came running into the kitchen. "I picked purple and baby blue."

Lorelai rubbed her hands together. "Perfect, let's get started." She gestured to the kitchen table. "Here, sit down."

"You're gonna do it in the kitchen?" Luke asked, making a face. "That stuff smells terrible."

As the girls sat down at the table, Lorelai said to Doula, "I have an idea. Let's think of somewhere we can send Uncle Luke so that he doesn't have to smell this."

"The smell lingers for hours," Luke reminded her. "I'll smell it when I get back."

"Shh," Lorelai hushed him, then leaned in closer to Doula and whispered, "What do we feel like having for dessert? Cookies? Cake? Ice cream?"

"Chocolate cupcakes," Doula whispered to Lorelai.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Ooh, good choice." She sat back up and cleared her throat. "Luke, hon... would you mind making a quick trip to Weston's to get us girls some chocolate cupcakes? Pretty please?" She nudged Doula and whispered, "Give him the look."

Both Doula and Lorelai pouted at him, and he smiled amusedly. "Fine. I'll be back in a few minutes," Luke told them. "Paint fast and open the window."

Lorelai playfully saluted him. "Yes, sir."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few hours later, after Liz and TJ picked up a sleeping Doula, Luke and Lorelai were upstairs getting ready for bed.

"We're good at this," Lorelai said. "This whole 'watching a kid together and then sending it home' - it's good practice for when we become the g-words."

"Yeah, it's fun," he agreed.

"I wonder if I'd be as good with a boy as I am with girls," Lorelai pondered. "I watched Davey a little when he was younger, but I don't have a lot of extended experience with boys."

"Me either, besides myself."

"Well, if it's a boy, you're gonna have to take the lead on some things," Lorelai said. "You know, impart your skills about how to not shave, how to drive a stick, how to cook the perfect pancake, stuff like that." She walked over to the bed and started to get in, pondering aloud, "I'm not sure what I would teach him."

"All the stuff you'd impart on a girl, you can do with a boy, too," Luke told her as he got into bed. "Between you and Rory, any kid of hers is gonna have a knowledge and appreciation for entertainment and literature that is far superior to any other kid."

"I guess," she agreed.

They settled in beneath the covers, both on their backs, and Lorelai glanced over at him. "It's kind of fun thinking about that stuff, isn't it? Wondering what we'll do with the kid that's not even here yet... what we'll teach it. The anticipation part of it is just as fun as it actually being here."

"Yeah, it's kind of neat," Luke agreed. "It's like packing for a trip... planning it out and preparing for it is part of the excitement."

"Yeah." Lorelai was quiet for a moment before she said, "Hey, Luke?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think a kid of ours would've been like?" she asked him. "Hypothetically. Don't read into the question."

Luke looked over at her questioningly and sat up in the bed. "Lorelai..."

"I told you not to read into it," she scolded him, wagging her finger. "And I can tell by your face that you _are_."

"I don't see how I _couldn't_ read into it," Luke countered. "You're what-iffing about us having a kid."

Lorelai shook her head. "I'm just asking you what you think a kid that was half Danes and half Gilmore would be like. That's it... it was just a question, and not a loaded one. I think it would definitely be smart." She gestured toward him. "Your turn..."

He looked at her curiously, then replied, "Tall."

"Drop-dead gorgeous."

"Probably a good sense of humor," Luke said.

"A caffeine addict."

Luke smiled, and then eyed her skeptically. "But really, what's this about? Have you been thinking about the surrogacy thing again?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, I would tell you if I was thinking about that. I'm just making conversation. We just spent the whole night watching a kid, it's not all that shocking that my bedtime chit-chat is about kids, is it?"

"I guess not."

"We've already talked about the kid thing and we were on the same page, remember?"

"I know. But I also know things can change."

"They haven't," Lorelai assured him.

"Okay, I was just curious about where your head was at, that's all," Luke said. "And under our new open communication plan, I was obligated to ask you. Keeping my question to myself would only lead to internal conflict and confusion."

Lorelai smiled. "You're doing well with the therapist-speak."

"Thank you."

"It really didn't have any underlying meaning," Lorelai reiterated. "It was just a thought I had. Like how I've never had a pet raccoon, but sometimes I'll randomly think about what it would be like to have one... it's just casual pondering, doesn't mean I'm regretting not having one."

Luke smirked. "That's the best comparison you've got... our hypothetical kid and a pet raccoon?"

Lorelai smiled. "It's late, I'm tired, plus all the nail polish fumes went to my head. I can try to think of a better comparison tomorrow."

"It's okay, I got it." Luke smiled and patted her thigh. "Let's go to sleep."

Lorelai nodded in agreement, and leaned in to kiss him. "'Night."

"'Night

. . . . .

. . . . .

Over the next two weeks, Rory was able to begin redecorating Buddy and Maisy's house with money that Christopher had given her. She started by having many of the rooms repainted, and then started looking for furniture and other decor. Emily told her she could take any of the furniture left at her house in Hartford, and Rory decided on a few pieces, including some of the furniture from Richard's study to put in the den at her own house.

On a Saturday afternoon in mid-March, Lorelai and Rory were sitting at a table in the diner. They had been shopping all morning in other towns before returning to Stars Hollow to hit the local stores, deciding to stop for lunch before heading over to Kim's Antiques. While Rory was looking for décor for her house, Lorelai was trying to find some things for the annex.

Luke delivered their food to the table, then sat down with them. "How's the shopping going?" he asked.

"Good. Rory picked out some couches and end tables for her living room," Lorelai said.

"And a potential table for the kitchen that we may go back and get if we don't see something else we like more," Rory added.

"Good, good," Luke replied. "I'm meeting some guys there on Monday, they're gonna install the alarm system."

Lorelai smiled and said to Rory, "Your stepfather is a little overprotective sometimes."

"Hey, I just want her to be safe," Luke said. "Nothing wrong with that."

"I appreciate it, thank you," Rory said sincerely.

"What time is that party tonight?" Luke asked Lorelai.

"Seven," Lorelai replied. "And I told you, you don't have to feel obligated to go if you don't really want to. I'll be okay if I have to go alone."

"Someone has to make sure you get home in one piece," Luke said.

"Oh, is this Donald's party?" Rory asked.

"Yeah," Lorelai replied, then her eyes widened. "Oh, hey, do you wanna go? You can take Luke's place. Then he gets out of it and I won't have to go alone."

"Sure, I'll go," Rory replied with a shrug. "I might need a nap first, though."

Lorelai smiled at her, then glanced at Luke. "That work for you? Now I have a built-in designated driver to get me home that I don't even have to feel guilty about being a designated driver because she can't drink anyway."

"Yup, that works," Luke replied, and he nodded gratefully toward Rory. "I owe you."

"Well, you install an alarm system in my house and we'll call it even," Rory joked.

Luke smiled. "Deal." He stood up from the table. "I'll be back."

As Luke headed toward the kitchen, Lane rushed into the diner and over to their table. "Hey, guys," Lane said as she sat down with them. "Saw the Jeep out front... I need a quick word."

"What's wrong?" Rory asked her.

Lane leaned toward the center of the table and whispered, "Well, I just thought you guys should know that... _people know._ "

"Know what?" Lorelai whispered back.

Lane jerked her head toward Rory. "They _know_. I was just at Doose's and overheard a couple of people talking about how it looks like _someone_ has gained some weight, and then someone else said that Gilmores never gain weight."

"True," Lorelai agreed.

"Not our fault," Rory said with a shrug. "Good genes."

"Well, that got them talking and someone threw out the pregnancy idea and now it looks like they're gonna be keeping an eye on you to see if it's true." Lane stood up and huffed out a sigh. "Okay, just wanted to tell you so you don't get blindsided. I have to get back to the boys, they're waiting outside."

"Thanks for the info," Rory said.

"Yeah, thanks, Lane," Lorelai echoed, and as Lane exited the diner, Lorelai frowned at Rory. "So... you okay with this? With the news coming out?"

Rory shrugged. "Yeah, it was gonna come out eventually. I just don't know how much to tell them."

Lorelai shook her head. "You don't have to tell them anything. You can let them speculate all they want, but you don't have to tell them anything you don't wanna tell them." She rubbed Rory's arm. "Got it?"

Rory nodded understandingly. "I know."

They started on their lunches, and filled Luke in on the news when he came back to see them. When they were done eating, they stepped out onto the sidewalk and glanced around to see if anyone was watching them.

"Coast looks clear," Lorelai said, and she put her arm around Rory as they started walking toward Kim's Antiques. "See, not so bad, no ambushes."

They headed into the shop and as they started to look around, Rory stopped in front of a small table. "What do you think of this for the foyer?" Rory said, tapping on the table top. "Something to drop things on when I come home... you know, my purse, keys, the mail."

Lorelai ran her hand over the top of it. "I think it's great. You could get a mirror to hang over it, too."

Rory nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I wonder if they have one here that would match." They looked around some more, and talked with Mrs. Kim about what they were looking for. She showed them some pictures of mirrors that she could order that would match the table, and they picked one out.

They left the store and headed back toward the diner to ask Luke to pick up the table later with his truck. As they walked through the town square, Lorelai noticed a group of people huddled together on the other side of the gazebo trying to look at them through the wooden slats.

Lorelai shared a look with Rory, and with a sigh, started leading her in that direction. "Let's just get it over with," Lorelai said. When they reached the group, she casually asked, "What are you guys up to over here?"

"Oh, just enjoying this beautiful Spring weather," Mrs. Cassini replied.

"It's been great for business," Bootsy added. "People are outside more, I'm getting some more foot traffic."

"So, shouldn't you be over there running the business?" Lorelai asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Probably," he agreed.

"What are you two up to?" Gypsy asked Lorelai and Rory.

"Oh, just doing some shopping," Rory replied, gesturing toward Kim's Antiques.

"Hiya, Sugars," Babette's voice called from down the street, and they turned to see her running toward them with Miss Patty trailing behind her.

"Hey, Babette," Lorelai greeted her when she reached them. "What's all the excitement about?"

"Oh, nothing, just wanted to come say hi," Babette replied, panting heavily to catch her breath.

As Miss Patty finally reached the crowd, she warned Babette, "You're gonna be sore tomorrow. I told you not to run."

"What's going on over here?" a voice asked, and Lorelai saw Andrew heading over, followed by Kirk and Lulu with Petal.

"Oh, my God," Rory muttered under her breath. "Look at everyone gathering."

Lorelai protectively put her arm around Rory and squeezed her shoulder.

"Are you guys talking about me?" Kirk asked accusingly. "I asked you to do that in private and not in an open forum where I can see you."

"It's not about you, Kirk," Gypsy told him.

"Then what's going on? I don't see any free food or anything," Kirk said.

"Nothing's going on, we're just hanging out," Bootsy said.

"Yeah, we're just standing here in case anyone wanted to say something," Tom said from the back of the group.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "Tom, aren't you supposed to be at the annex?"

"What, contractors can't take a break?" Tom replied.

Lorelai shook her head in disbelief. "Okay, all right, enough... if anyone has something they want to ask, just ask it."

There were many looks exchanged among the group as they nonverbally decided who would speak up.

"I think this still might be about me," Kirk said quietly to Lulu.

"It's about me, Kirk," Rory told him. "Some people seem to think I'm pregnant." She looked at the group. "Right?"

Some people nodded, some people shrugged, and some people pretended to be oblivious to what was going on.

"Well... is it true?" Babette asked.

Rory glanced at Lorelai, who smiled supportively, and then took a deep breath. "Yeah, it's true," Rory told them. "I'm pregnant... spread the word."

There were a few gasps and squeals of excitement. Rory was suddenly being embraced by several people, and Lorelai took a step back to give them some room. Everyone was asking questions and offering congratulations, and Lorelai was smiling as she watched them fawn over her.

"You're gonna be a great mom," Babette told Rory, giving her a big hug. As she pulled back, her eyes were watery. "Oh, geez, I can't believe our little girl is gonna be a mother."

"Hey, this means that Lorelai's a grandmother," Gypsy announced, and everyone looked over at Lorelai.

Lorelai frowned. "Thanks for pointing that out to everyone, Gypsy. And I'm _gonna be_ one, I'm not one yet."

"She's a little sensitive to that word right now," Rory told them, smiling at Lorelai.

"When are you due?" Miss Patty asked.

"Who's the father?" Babette asked, and then glanced at Rory's hand to look for a ring. "Are you getting married?"

"Uh, well..." Rory started.

"Not that you have to, I was just wondering," Babette added.

Lorelai quickly stepped closer to Rory. "Oh, shoot, guys, we have to go meet Luke. Rory's due in July, and as of right now, there are no wedding plans. We'll see you later!" She put her arm around Rory and they quickly started walking toward the diner. Rory glanced behind them to see if anyone was following.

"Are they coming?" Lorelai asked.

"No, they seem to be discussing it as a group," Rory replied, then exhaled a sigh of relief. "Glad that's over with."

"That wasn't so bad," Lorelai said. "I'm sure it wasn't the end of it, but that should hold 'em over for a little while."

"Thanks for the abrupt escape," Rory said appreciatively.

Lorelai smiled. "You're welcome."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Officially Married - Chapter 9**

. . . . .

. . . . .

That night, Luke was starting to fall asleep on the couch while waiting for Lorelai to get home from the party. He was startled awake when he heard the front door opening, and he glanced over at the foyer.

He saw both Lorelai and Rory entering the house and walked over to greet them. "Hey. How was the party?"

Lorelai smiled and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, then rushed past him, calling, "Hi, the party was fun, gotta go to the bathroom!"

Luke watched her walk off, and when the bathroom door closed, he smiled at Rory. "Did she do a lot of..." His voice trailed off and he made a drinking gesture.

"Yeah, she did," Rory replied with a nod. "She's still a little buzzed, but she had a good time... lots of dancing and singing and chatting. Everyone loved her, she was a big hit with Donald's friends."

"You have a good time, too?" Luke asked.

Rory nodded excitedly. "Yes! And all because of something Mom drunkenly yelled across the room."

Luke smiled. "Oh, boy... do tell."

"Well, Donald's friends kept asking her to come up and do karaoke with them, and when she finally had enough drinks in her, she went up on the stage," Rory explained. "Before her song even started, she yelled to me, 'Rory, put this in your book!' And one of Donald's friends that I was sitting with asked me what that meant, so I told him I was writing a book about me and Mom, and it turns out... he's an editor at a publishing firm."

Luke's eyes widened. "You're kidding!"

"Yeah, and we started talking about it, and he gave me his card and said I could email him some chapters and he would give me some feedback."

Luke grinned. "Wow. That's great, really great."

Rory nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it was one of those 'right place at the right time' moments." She patted him on the shoulder. "So, thanks for not wanting to go to the party and letting me fill your spot."

Luke smiled. "You're welcome." He gestured in the direction of her bedroom. "You wanna spend the night? It's late, you must be exhausted."

"No, it's okay," Rory said. "I'm actually a little wired right now... maybe too much sugar or something." She gestured toward the bathroom. "You might wanna check on her."

"I will. Thanks for getting her home."

"You're welcome," Rory replied. "Goodnight."

"Drive safe," Luke said, and as Rory left the house, Luke locked the front door behind her. He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it. "Lorelai? You okay in there?"

Lorelai pulled open the door as she was drying her hands on the hand towel. "Yeah, I'm good." She suddenly gasped and said, "Oh, my God, guess what happened tonight!" She walked past him into the hall, calling, "Rory! Tell Luke what happened!"

"She just left."

Lorelai spun around to face him. "Oh, shoot. Did she tell you about the guy who's gonna look at her book?"

Luke nodded. "She did. She's really happy."

Lorelai grinned and rested her hands on Luke's shoulders. "She was so excited on the drive home. I'm happy for her." She snaked her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his for a tender kiss. She pulled back with a smile. "Hi."

"Hey." Luke's hands gripped her waist as he initiated another kiss. When they separated, he said, "I heard you were the life of the party."

"Well, not the head life of the party, but one of 'em," Lorelai replied. "Donald has a fun group of friends." She ran her hands through his tasseled hair, then cocked her head to the side. "Were you asleep?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I started to doze off on the couch waiting for you."

Lorelai smiled. "You were waiting up for me, that is so cute. Did you miss me?"

"Yup."

Lorelai kissed him. "Are you awake now?"

"Mmhmm."

Lorelai kissed him again, deeper this time, then smiled against his lips. "Feeling frisky?"

Luke returned the smile. "Starting to."

Lorelai moved her lips down to his neck. "If you're too tired, I can stop," she murmured before she began sucking lightly on his neck.

Luke groaned softly and ran his hands up and down her back. "No need."

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure," he confirmed. "Let's go upstairs."

Lorelai pulled back from him and took his hand. She led him to the staircase and they went up to the bedroom. As they entered the room, Lorelai kicked off her shoes and turned her back to him so he could help take off her dress.

He unzipped it and pushed it down to the floor, then unclasped her bra and pulled it off. He pressed his body up against hers from behind, and she moaned softly as his hands began to roam the front of her. One hand caressed her breasts while the other hand moved down between her legs. He rubbed her gently through the front of her panties, slowly building up her arousal until her moans told him she was ready for more.

His fingers moved the fabric aside and brushed against her folds, and her lower body bucked at the sensation. "Mmm," she moaned encouragingly, and he dipped a finger into her wetness. "Yes, yes, yes," she muttered, rocking against his hand.

"You like that?" he whispered into her ear as his finger moved gently against her clit.

"Mmhmm," she muttered, and then whimpered as his finger started to move faster. "Oh, God, Luke!"

When Luke pulled his hand away from her, Lorelai pushed her underwear down her legs. She sat on the edge of the bed and he stepped up to her and stood between her legs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him heatedly, pulling him down with her as she rested her back against the mattress.

Luke pulled back from her to push his sweat pants and boxers off. He ran his hands along her legs and up to her thighs as she stared up at him in anticipation. He pulled her body a little closer to the edge of the bed before guiding his hardness to her opening.

Lorelai moaned as he began inching his length into her and she ran her hands over his chest. "God, you feel good."

"So do you." When he was completely inside of her, he leaned over to kiss her, whispering against her lips, "You okay?"

Lorelai nodded eagerly and he began thrusting into her at a fast pace. As his hands began caressing her breasts, she began gently rubbing her clit, and her body was throbbing with arousal from head to toe. Their grunts and groans of pleasure were loud, and it was only a few minutes before their powerful climaxes washed over them.

They started going through their nighttime routine, and as they finished up in the bathroom and walked into the bedroom, Lorelai asked, "Are you exhausted right now or can we talk for a few minutes?"

Luke turned to face her, looking concerned. "Is everything okay?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, I just have something on my mind that I need you to tell me I'm crazy for thinking about."

"Okay."

They got into bed and sat facing each other, and Lorelai took a deep breath. "Tonight at the party, when people would find out Rory was my pregnant daughter, I would hear comments like, 'oh my God, you're too cool to be a grandmother' and 'you're too fun to be a grandmother.' Stuff like that. And I don't know why, but it started to get into my head and make me worried about losing my cool, fun vibe and turning into the kind of person where people are like, 'oh, you're a grandmother, I can totally see that.'" She exhaled a sigh. "Tell me I'm crazy."

Luke shook his head with confusion. "You're definitely crazy."

"I know! I don't know where these worries came from!"

"You are not gonna change," Luke told her. "You're not gonna lose that vibe because that's _you_... that's your personality, Lorelai. That doesn't just go away. You're cool now, you're fun now, you're gonna be cool and fun as a grandmother, too... end of story. It's not like the baby's gonna come out and then, bam, you turn into your mother."

Lorelai gasped. "Bite your tongue!"

Luke smirked. "Seriously, though. There's nothing to worry about."

Lorelai nodded understandingly. "Okay. You're right, that's me, that's who I am, I'm not changing, just adding a new title." She shook her head and shrugged a little. "I knew it was crazy, I just needed you to confirm it. I don't know why it was getting to me. Maybe the alcohol tonight was making me overthink things."

"Possibly." Luke paused a moment before hesitantly adding, "Or..."

"Or what?"

"Well, maybe the fact that you were at a birthday party was making you think about _your_ birthday coming up next month," Luke suggested. "At which point you'll only be a year away from the big five -"

"Buh buh buh," she cut him off, waving her hands in front of him. "We don't have to talk about the big number that I'm getting closer to."

Luke smirked. "Okay. But I'm just saying that maybe that milestone is in the back of your mind and is subconsciously making you worry about things you wouldn't normally care about. That number can be a big deal for people to hit, even if they don't think or realize it's affecting them."

Lorelai exhaled another sigh, then nodded in agreement. "Maybe."

Luke comfortingly rubbed her knee. "Who knows why you're worrying, but whatever the reason... everything's fine. You're not gonna lose that vibe, okay? You're not gonna stop being you."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay." She leaned in to kiss him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

. . . . .

. . . . .

As pieces of furniture were delivered and other decor started to go up in Rory's house, it started to feel more like her own place, and she officially moved out of Emily's. In a matter of weeks, Emily's house was re-listed and sold, and Emily came in from Nantucket to finalize things.

Her realtor had found her a smaller house in a gated community in Hartford, and it would be watched over year-round by a caretaker. A few days before her remaining belongings would be taken over to the new place, Lorelai and Rory arrived at the house for Friday night dinner.

Emily answered the door and gasped when she saw Rory. "Oh, my, look at you," Emily said, glancing down at her stomach. "Someone's starting to show."

"Yes, she is," Rory replied, smiling. "Hi, Grandma."

They stepped into the house and Lorelai's eyes widened at how empty it was. "Wow. This is eerie," Lorelai said.

"Yeah. It was already pretty empty when I moved out, but now..." Rory shook her head in disbelief. "It's so weird seeing it like this."

"I haven't seen it this empty since Richard and I first moved in," Emily said, glancing around solemnly.

Lorelai frowned. "Are you okay, Mom?"

Emily took a deep breath. "Well, the past few days have been... emotional."

"I can imagine," Rory said sympathetically as she rubbed Emily's arm.

"Well, come in, let's get some drinks," Emily said, waving them to follow her to the living room. "Rory, I've got some club soda for you. Lorelai, scotch?"

"Sounds good," Lorelai replied.

Emily headed to the drink cart as Lorelai and Rory sat down on the couch.

"So, are you almost done with the packing, Mom?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, I'll finish up this weekend and then the movers come on Monday to take it to the new place," Emily replied. "It's only a few miles from here. It'll be like my vacation home, I suppose."

"Most people would have their actual house in Hartford and the vacation home in Nantucket, but Emily Gilmore doesn't play by those rules," Lorelai quipped.

"Not anymore, she doesn't," Emily said. She finished pouring the drinks and brought them over to the girls. As she sat down across from them, she asked, "So, Rory, how are you feeling?"

Rory shrugged. "It varies day to day, but usually pretty good."

"You're taking care of yourself, taking your vitamins, having regular checkups?" Emily asked.

"Yes," Rory confirmed. "Doing it by the book."

"And, are you... doing it alone?" Emily hesitatingly asked. "Is Logan aware of this situation?"

"She'll never be alone," Lorelai said, patting Rory on the knee.

Rory smiled at Lorelai, then replied to Emily, "Yeah, he's aware and he's planning to be involved. We haven't quite figured out all of the logistics yet, but I'll fill you in on the details when we have some."

"Well, good," Emily replied, and took a sip of her drink. "Lorelai, what's new at the inn?"

"Well, we finally hired a new head chef, which was a long and painful process," Lorelai replied. "And in a few months, we'll get to do it all over again when we hire one for the new place."

"How's the new place coming along?" Emily asked.

"Oh, really good. The construction guys have been working like crazy," Lorelai replied. "It looks amazing."

"Do you have a name for it yet?" Emily asked.

"Not yet," Lorelai replied. "We've been tossing around some ideas... The Dragonfly Suites, The Dragonfly Spa, things like that." Berta suddenly appeared at the entrance to the living room, startling Lorelai. "Oh, whoa... I didn't realize anyone else was here."

"Of course Berta's here with me, the whole family is," Emily replied. "Who did you think was going to be cooking dinner?"

"Oh, right, good point. Hi, Berta," Lorelai said, waving to her.

Berta waved and then announced something they couldn't quite understand, but she made some eating gestures, prompting Emily to ask, "Dinner's ready?"

"Si, si." Berta grinned and nodded excitedly before turning to walk away.

"Well, let's eat, shall we?" Emily said to the girls. "Bring your drinks."

As they started walking toward the dining room, Lorelai asked, "Where's the rest of the family? The house is so quiet."

"Boxing up things down in the basement," Emily replied. "It just so happens that Chilton is having a charity auction next month, so a lot of it's being donated to that to raise money for the school."

"That's nice of you, Grandma," Rory said.

Dinner plates were already waiting for them on the table, and they surveyed them to try to identify the meal.

Lorelai finally gave up and shrugged. "Well, it smells good."

"How about a toast before we eat," Emily said as she raised her glass. "To the last of many Gilmore family dinners we've had in this house."

Lorelai raised her glass and glanced at the empty chair at the head of the table. She felt tears forming in her eyes and swallowed hard before adding, "And... a toast to Dad."

"We miss you, Grandpa," Rory added as she raised her glass.

. . . . .

. . . . .

Later that night, Lorelai dropped Rory off at her house, and then headed home. Luke was in bed watching television, and he smiled when she walked into the bedroom. "Hey," he greeted her. "How was dinner?"

Lorelai took off her shoes, then crawled into bed next to him and rested her head against his chest. "More emotional than I thought it would be."

He wrapped his arm around her and began stroking her hair. "You wanna talk about it?"

Lorelai was quiet for a moment before replying, "After dinner, we walked around the house a little. It was empty and quiet, and all of these different moments kept popping into my head. I could see my dad making drinks at the drink cart while energetically praising a piece Rory had recently written. I saw you and me sitting on the couch together that first time you had dinner there." She took a deep breath, and her voice quivered a little as she continued, "I saw Rory as a baby lying on the floor of my bedroom trying to chew on the handle of my hairbrush."

Luke affectionately squeezed her shoulder. "Sounds emotional."

"Yeah. And I know I told Mom a few months ago that the memories are with _her_ and not the house to try to make her feel better, but I totally get it. It's crazy when you think about how much has happened there, you know? Good times, bad times, worse times... I have 49 years of memories associated with that house." She softly exhaled a sigh and then lifted her head to look at him. "It's just weird that for the longest time, that house was a place I ran from, and then tonight... I didn't want to leave. It was actually _hard_ to leave."

"I can imagine." Luke looked into her eyes for a moment. "You were crying."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, while I was there, and then again on the drive home."

Luke frowned sympathetically and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry it was a rough night."

"I'm glad we had one more dinner there. It was a nice way to say goodbye," Lorelai said. "And Rory asked Berta to take a couple of pictures of us in the house before we left. Me and her and Mom... one by the front door and one in front of the fireplace."

Luke smiled. "That's sweet."

"Yeah. It was a good idea. It'll be nice to have those."

"So, what are your mom's plans for the next few days?"

"Finish packing up what's left in the house. Some stuff is being donated, the rest is going to the new place," Lorelai replied. "She's gonna get the new house set up and then head back to Nantucket at the end of the week."

"If she's gonna be around for a few more days, we can have her over for dinner one night," Luke offered. "I mean, I can imagine she's probably feeling pretty emotional about this, too. Might be nice for her to have some more family time while she's here."

Lorelai smiled. "That's a sweet idea."

"Maybe we could have dinner at Rory's house," Luke suggested. "I could cook there, and it would give her a chance to see the new place."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that'll be nice. I'll check with them and see what night works." She leaned in and kissed him. "I'm gonna get changed, I'll be right back."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Luke and Lorelai's therapy sessions were initially weekly, then shifted to twice a month, and were now monthly. At their appointment in April, they gave Dr. Flint a recap on how things had been over the past few weeks.

"So, based on what I'm hearing from you both, you seem to have really turned around your communication problems," Dr. Flint said.

Lorelai smiled at Luke. "Yeah. I guess we always had it in us, we just didn't put the effort in like we should have."

"Yeah, I didn't realize how important it was and how it could make a relationship better," Luke admitted.

"Can you two give me a few examples of what's different now as opposed to last year?" Dr. Flint asked, his pen poised to jot their responses in his notebook.

Lorelai glanced ponderingly at Luke. "Well, it's definitely made us connect more emotionally. We have so many more discussions about thoughts and feelings and all sorts of stuff, and by being so... I don't know what the right word is... _transparent_ maybe... it's like our minds are completely open to each other now, and before, there were all these little doors that were keeping certain things closed off."

"That's a good analogy," Dr. Flint said. "Luke, do you agree with that? You feel like you're more emotionally connected with Lorelai?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I do. We're talking more and we're understanding each other better. And we don't argue as much. I mean, we still disagree sometimes, but we discuss things more openly and calmly. We don't yell at each other or get all worked up."

"He doesn't storm off like he used to," Lorelai said with a smile. "He's always been that 'I need to go clear my head in the middle of this heated discussion' kind of guy."

Luke reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's always been my instinct to just get away from arguments and then come back to them later. But now we approach things head-on and talk them out calmly... there's nothing to walk away from."

"Good, good," Dr. Flint said, nodding approvingly. "That's great. Anything else you can think of that's changed?"

"Well, we're sharing more details about our days and about work," Luke said. "So I hear more about what's going on at the inn, and I can understand about the stresses she's dealing with. Or, for example, I can appreciate and share her excitement about the new lamps finally coming in after being accidentally delivered to some inn in New York because I know how stressful that situation was for her to deal with."

Lorelai groaned. "Ugh, that was a mess." Then she smiled as she added, "Gorgeous lamps, though."

"And it used to be that if one of us came home at night grumpy about work or something else, we'd just say it was rough day and that's it," Luke continued. "But now we'll sit down and talk about _why_ the day was rough."

"Sometimes it's not right away that we talk about it," Lorelai added. "There have been days where I'll come home and just want to relax in the tub first before talking."

"But when that's the case, we always try to talk about it before going to bed," Luke finished. "It's sort of become a rule of ours."

"That's excellent," Dr. Flint said. "Talking with someone about the things that gave you stress during the day can free your mind of those burdens and can help you sleep better at night."

"I think we both used to have this mindset of not wanting to put all of our burdens on the other person," Lorelai said. "So, sometimes we'd keep them to ourselves and spare the other person from having to deal with them." She glanced at Luke and smiled. "But now we understand that that's what they're there for, to be your partner and help carry the load. I think we're finally realizing that we should have been taking better advantage of that."

Luke nodded in agreement. "We're much better about that now."

Dr. Flint finished writing something down, and then looked up at them. "This is good, very good. Based on the progress that you've made, and the discussions we've had the past few sessions, it seems like you've got a good handle on how to keep this communication momentum going. You know what you _have_ to do, you just need to make sure you keep doing it. Now, putting aside the communication problems, are there any other aspects of your relationship that you two need guidance on to help improve, something else we should switch the focus to?"

When neither of them could think of anything specific, Luke glanced questioningly at Lorelai, then at Dr. Flint. "So... wait... does that mean we're done here?" Luke asked.

"Did we actually graduate therapy?" Lorelai asked skeptically.

Dr. Flint smiled. "Well, that's up to you... but it appears that you achieved what you were trying to achieve. You can keep a regular appointment scheduled on the books where we can check in and just make sure everything is still going smoothly. Or you can just call and make an appointment as needed when you need some guidance. It's completely up to you."

They discussed it and decided to drop their regular appointments for now until they noticed a reason to resume them.

As they walked out of their appointment and into the parking lot, Lorelai looked over at Luke. "So, we're on our own now."

"We can handle it, we know what we have to do." Luke reached for her hand and squeezed it. "That was a good idea, though, the therapy. It helped. I never would've thought that it would, but it did. I'm glad you suggested it... I'm glad we did it."

Lorelai smiled at him. "Me, too."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Lorelai's birthday fell in the middle of the week, and they planned to celebrate with a party at their house the Saturday before. A few days before the party, Lorelai and Luke drove to Woodbridge to hit up the liquor store, the party store, and the supermarket for supplies. At home, they unloaded their purchases from the car and were putting the food away when Lorelai's cell phone rang.

"You set up an escape call so you could get out of putting the groceries away, didn't you?" Luke joked.

Lorelai gasped. "That's genius. Why haven't I ever thought of that?" She pulled her phone from her purse. "It's Rory." She answered the phone as she started walking to the living room. "Hey, kid."

"So, do you want the good news or the bad news first?" Rory greeted her.

Lorelai frowned as she sat down on the couch. "Uh oh. I guess the bad news." Paul Anka sat on the floor beside her legs and Lorelai started petting him.

"The bad news is that my clothes are starting to get tight again," Rory told her.

"Ooh, is the good news that we get to go shopping?"

"Yes, and a twist to that is that Logan added me as a user to one of his credit card accounts so I can use it for some of the baby-related expenses," Rory said. "You know, so they're not all just on me to pay for."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Wow, okay... interesting. But nice."

"Yeah. I rejected the idea at first, I told him that he didn't have to do it, that I wasn't going to use it. But then we were talking about it and I thought about what you said and I figured, why shouldn't I use it? I don't have to do this on my own. I should accept help, especially from him... he's the father."

"Yeah, I agree. I think that was a nice gesture," Lorelai said. "Did you talk to him or was this all through email?"

"Well, he emailed me a few weeks ago asking for some information so he could set it up, and I replied back that I didn't need it," Rory explained. "So, he called me to try to talk me into it and I eventually agreed, and then I kind of forgot about it. But it just arrived in the mail today. So, what do you say... you feel like doing a little shopping?"

"Always."

"Maybe on Sunday," Rory suggested. "That is, if you're not hungover from the big blowout."

Lorelai smiled. "It's not a big blowout, it's a smaller gathering this year. I figured we'd do it up right next year for the big milestone that we're not gonna talk about just yet."

"Well, blowout or not, I'm sure the alcohol will be flowing, so we can play it by ear for Sunday."

"Okay. And we'll make sure we have stuff for you to drink, too," Lorelai said. "What's your nonalcoholic poison lately?"

"I've been craving apple juice like crazy," Rory replied. "And ice... I suddenly love chewing on ice for some reason. Some pregnant woman crave pickles dipped in ice cream, and I'm going for _ice_? That's so boring."

"Well, rest assured, we'll have plenty of it. You know Luke loves to have a good stockpile of ice for a party."

"That he does."

Luke walked into the living room with two glasses of wine, and Lorelai smiled at him from the couch. "Speak of the devil... here he is, with wine."

"Tell him hi for me," Rory said. "I'll let you go."

"Okay... goodnight, hon."

"Bye, Mom."

Lorelai hung up the phone, then said to Luke, "Rory says hi."

He sat down beside her and handed her a glass. "Everything okay?"

Lorelai nodded, took a sip of her wine, and then filled him in on the conversation.

"A credit card, huh?" Luke mused, rubbing his chin contemplatively.

"Yeah." Lorelai eyed hm for a moment. "What are you thinking?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. I know we agreed to have an open mind and not expect the worst, but I'm still not going to be convinced that he's actually gonna come back here and be a part of this kid's life until he's actually back here. And now he's sending a credit card for expenses?" He shrugged again. "Giving money is a nice gesture, but it doesn't equal being involved."

"I know, but it's a start," Lorelai pointed out. "And Rory believes that he's gonna do what he said he would, so I'm gonna go with her gut and believe him, too."

"Okay." Luke rested his hand on her leg and squeezed her knee. "I hope her gut is right."

"I wonder if pregnancy can affect your gut's instincts?" Lorelai pondered before taking another sip of wine. "Oh, speaking of which, I was thinking we should throw Rory a baby shower. The baby's only a few months away."

"Wow, a few months," Luke repeated, shaking his head slightly. "That went fast."

"Yeah, and a shower will be a good way for her to get some baby supplies," Lorelai said. "We can do it at the end of May or early June, like a big town thing. I can check with Miss Patty to see if we can use the studio." She eyed Luke, who was staring at his wine glass. "Are you okay with that?"

Luke glanced over at her. "With using the studio?"

"With throwing a shower," Lorelai clarified. "I mean, we'll have to pay for it, obviously, but it won't cost a ton. We don't need a lot of food, just some snacks and maybe a few desserts to go along with the cake. We can set up a couple of shower games, nothing too extravagant. I can ask Mom to chip in, too, if you think - "

"Lorelai, it's fine," he interrupted her. "Of course we should throw her a shower."

"Are you sure? You look like you're mulling it over."

"No, I'm on board, it's a good idea," Luke assured her. "I'm still thinking about what you said about it only being a few months away."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, it'll be here in July."

"You know, we should talk about maybe getting a new car," Luke said.

Lorelai's eyes widened at the statement that came out of left field. "What?"

"Well, I don't mean brand new, we can look for a used one."

"Where did that idea come from?"

"Well, I was just thinking... the baby's gonna be here soon, right? So, what if we're watching the baby for her and we have to take it somewhere? We're not all gonna fit comfortably in my truck, and I'm pretty sure it can't be safe or legal for an infant to be in the front seat anyway."

"Uh, then... we'll take the Jeep?" Lorelai suggested, narrowing her eyes confusedly.

"That's been breaking down a lot," Luke reminded her. "Who knows how much life it has left in it."

Lorelai frowned at the thought of giving up her Jeep. "Well, it's not a goner _yet_."

"No, but it hasn't been exactly a hundred percent dependable lately."

"It hasn't broken down in months," she pointed out.

"Which means it's due," Luke said.

"How often are we gonna be watching the baby and need to actually drive it somewhere? If there's an emergency, we can ask one of the neighbors for a ride. Or, you know, call an ambulance."

"It's not just for the baby. I've said before that I don't like the idea of you driving around in an unreliable car. What if you break down on the side of the road late at night?"

"Then I'll call you for help and you'll race over to get me before a murderer finds me."

"What if I'm at home watching the baby and can't come get you because I can't take it in the front seat of the truck?"

"Well, then you'll ask Babette and Morey to watch the baby for a few minutes so you can come get me."

"Lorelai, it's the middle of the night... I should just bang on their door and wake them up?"

Lorelai smiled amusedly at how absurd this scenario was getting, and she placed her hand on his cheek. "Hon, before we get into the hypothetical logistics of why I left you home alone with the baby in the middle of the night, why don't you just tell me why the sudden passion about us getting a newer car."

"I just think we should have a safe, reliable car," Luke said with a shrug. "That's all. I don't wanna worry about you breaking down or us not having transportation when we need it."

"Okay, I totally get that," Lorelai calmly replied, nodding. "But it's a big expense right now when we don't necessarily need it. I mean, both cars have been working fine lately, you know?"

Luke thought it over for a moment. "Okay, suggested compromise?"

"Yes?"

"The next time your Jeep or my truck breaks down, we talk about this topic again. Instead of just automatically pouring more money into the older ones, we'll have a serious conversation about getting something newer. Okay?"

Lorelai nodded. "Deal. We'll table it for now and re-evaluate when the situation calls for it."

"Thank you." He took a sip of his wine before casually adding, "However, when you do break down in the middle of the night and have to call me for help, make sure you keep the doors locked until I get there."

Lorelai smirked. "Yes, sir."

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Saturday night, guests were starting to arrive at the house for Lorelai's birthday party. Luke headed upstairs and knocked lightly on the master bedroom door. "Can I come in?" he called.

"Yes, we're dressed," Lorelai called back.

Luke pushed open the door and walked into the room. "Are you two almost ready? People are getting here."

"Yup, just about," Lorelai called from the bathroom. "Rory's taming my flyaways."

"I don't know what that means," Luke replied, walking to the bathroom door.

Lorelai glanced over at him, smiling. "Yes, you do... flyaways are those little frizzy hairs that stick up. We're fixing them."

"The power of hair gel," Rory said, and after brushing her hand over the top of Lorelai's head, announced, "Okay, done."

As Rory washed her hands in the sink, Lorelai eyed herself in the mirror, then turned to face Luke. "How do I look?"

"Perfect," Luke replied from the doorway. "Both of you."

Lorelai smiled. "Good, let's go." They walked out of the bathroom, and she asked Rory, "You ready for a lot of unsolicited questions about your life?"

"Always. That's what being raised in Stars Hollow taught me to be prepared for," Rory replied. "But if you see me cornered by more than four people at once, send help."

"You got it," Lorelai replied.

Luke nodded toward Paul Anka curled up on the bed. "He staying up here?"

Lorelai rubbed Paul Anka's head. "Yeah, he's been very mellow today, I think he might be overwhelmed down there. We'll just put a movie on for him."

Luke picked up the remote and turned the television on. " _Turner and Hooch?_ " he asked as he started scrolling through the DVR.

"Yes." Lorelai rubbed Paul Anka behind his ear. "Okay, buddy, we'll leave the door ajar... come down if you need anything."

The three of them headed downstairs to the party and began mingling with the guests. Music was playing, drinks were flowing, and Luke had to keep refilling the food trays in the kitchen.

As Luke waded through the crowd in the living room to bring Lorelai her refilled drink glass, he said, "You kept saying this was gonna be a small party."

" _Smaller_ ," Lorelai corrected him. "Smaller than usual. I cut the guest list by like seven percent."

"Oh, my mistake," Luke said with a smirk.

"Luke, why don't you stay out here and chat for a while?" Babette asked him. "You keep hiding in the kitchen."

"I'm not hiding, I'm cooking," Luke replied. "The food's been moving fast."

"We can have a lull in the food," Lorelai said. "Let people digest for a bit."

"I have stuff in the oven," Luke replied. "When that's done, I'll take a break."

Lorelai smiled and kissed him. "Okay."

As Luke headed back to the kitchen, Rory hurriedly walked over to Lorelai and whispered, "Mom, one of your presents just arrived. I want you to come out front and see it."

Lorela's eyes widened with curiosity. "Out front?"

"Yeah, I want you to see it alone before everyone else does," Rory told her, then said to the group, "I'm stealing her for just a minute, we'll be right back." She pulled Lorelai over to the side door and they slipped out onto the porch.

As Rory guided her toward the front of the porch, Lorelai said, "I like this sneaky thing we're doing. It's like right out of a Lifetime - " Her voice trailed off when her eyes landed on what she assumed was her present.

Lorelai gasped softly and tears started to well up in her eyes. "Sookie," she whispered.

Sookie was standing by the porch steps, a container of food and a gift bag on the porch beside her. She smiled brightly and gave a jazz-hands wave with both hands. "Tada... happy birthday."

Lorelai walked quickly toward her with her arms wide open and wrapped her in a warm embrace. "I can't believe you're here... I've missed you so much!"

Sookie returned the hug. "I missed you, too."

As they separated, Lorelai smiled at Rory. "I can't believe you ordered me a Sookie for my birthday _and_ kept it a secret. Did anyone else know?"

Rory shook her head. "Nope, just me. I'm just glad it worked out," she said. "We're happy you're here, Sookie."

"Me, too," Sookie said, and then gestured toward Rory's stomach. "And we're gonna talk about _that_ in a minute because that's brand new information that my mind is still processing."

Lorelai giggled. "Yeah, we'll get you back into the loop."

"I thought you guys might wanna catch up out here for a few minutes before the rest of the party sees Sookie and starts harassing her," Rory said. "I'll leave you guys alone."

"Thanks, hon," Lorelai said. "Tell Luke what's going on and that we'll be in in a few minutes."

As Rory headed inside, Lorelai and Sookie sat on the porch bench. "So, tell me, what's been going on?" Sookie asked. "How's married life?"

Lorelai grinned. "Amazing."

Sookie giggled and nudged her shoulder into Lorelai's. "Yeah?"

Lorelai nodded emphatically as she pressed her palms together. "We're like completely in sync like we've never been before." She glanced around to make sure they were alone outside, then lowered her voice. "We went to therapy for a few months to help sort some things out, and it really helped us grow closer."

"Really?" Sookie looked surprised, but then smiled and shook her head. "I cannot picture Luke going to a therapist."

"I know, I asked him to give it a try and told him we wouldn't go back if we didn't like it. But he liked it, he _wanted_ to go back." Lorelai shrugged and added, "So, now, here we are, married, happy, living the dream."

Sookie grinned. "That's amazing, I'm happy for you guys." She grabbed Lorelai's arm and said, "So, fill me in on Rory... she's pregnant?"

"She's pregnant," Lorelai confirmed.

"Oh, my God!" Sookie squealed. "You're gonna be a -"

Lorelai waved her hand frantically. "No way, don't you dare call me a grandmother at my birthday party, Sookie!"

Sookie promptly covered her own mouth. "Sorry," she mumbled, then moved her hand. "So, what's the story there?"

Lorelai paused a moment before replying, "I'm not sure how much detail she wants me to share, so I'll let you talk to her directly. But yes, she's pregnant, she's not currently with the father of said baby, but the father does know about it and is being supportive."

Sookie nodded understandingly. "Okay, got it. And she's doing okay?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, she's doing good. She's writing a book... I'll let her tell you about that, too. But tell me about you, what's going on? How's the family?"

"Oh, they're good, everyone's good. Waking up at the crack of dawn for the farm chores isn't always fun, but we're dealing with it," Sookie replied. "I did have to take a three-hour nap today just to make sure I stay awake at your party."

Lorelai smiled. "I appreciate it."

"How's the new inn coming along?" Sookie asked.

"Really well, it's gonna be amazing," Lorelai replied. "It's set to open at the end of June."

Sookie smiled. "Good, good." She paused a moment as she glanced down at her hands in her lap, then looked at Lorelai. "Need a chef?"

"Yes, actually," Lorelai replied. "Have any recommendations?"

Sookie replied with just a smile and a nod.

Lorelai stared at her for a moment, completely still, and then blinked a few times. "Wait. Are you serious?"

Sookie nodded.

"You mean... _you_?"

Sookie nodded again.

"You guys are coming back?"

Sookie's smile widened as she nodded again.

Lorelai gasped and clutched her chest, then shook her head. "I swear to God, if you're April foolsing me right now, I'm going to be soooo ticked off."

Sookie giggled. "It's April 22nd. Nobody April fools-es this late in the month."

"Well, I don't know how they do it in the farming world!"

"I'm not kidding," Sookie assured her. "Jackson and I had been discussing coming back for a few months, and then last week we saw this beautiful house for sale on Plum Street and we fell in love with the pictures online and put an offer in without even going to look at it in person. And we get offers on our farm all the time, so it'll sell fast once we put it up. If all goes well, we'll be back by the end of May."

Lorelai squealed and threw her arms around Sookie. "Oh, my God! I'm trying not to get too excited, but I've had a couple of drinks already and can't control the excitement right now."

Sookie giggled as she hugged her back. "I'm excited, too."

The front door opened and Luke stuck his head out. "Sorry to interrupt, but people keep asking where you are." He smiled and added, "Hey, Sookie."

"Hi, Luke," Sookie replied with a smile.

Lorelai jumped up from the bench and waved Luke out onto the porch. "Hon, come here." He walked over to them as Lorelai pulled Sookie up from the bench. "Tell him, Sookie. Tell him what you just told me."

Sookie smiled. "Jackson and I are coming back." She paused a moment and added, "Well, the kids, too, I don't know if that was implied. But all of us, the family, we're all coming back to Stars Hollow."

Luke's eyes widened with surprise. "You're kidding!" He gave Sookie a hug. "That's such great news."

Lorelai rubbed her hands together excitedly. "She's gonna be the chef at the spa!"

Luke smiled. "Really? That's amazing."

"Yeah, I think it's time to get the Dragonfly band back together again," Sookie said.

Lorelai grinned and shook her head in disbelief. "I feel like I'm dreaming, this is incredible." She glanced into the house through the window. "Okay, let's go inside... we have a lot to celebrate tonight!"

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**

.

 **Author's Note:** This is about the halfway point of the story, and I wanted to thank everyone who's still following along. Thanks, also, to those who have reviewed or messaged me to let me know you're out there reading, it is very much appreciated! :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Officially Married - Chapter 10**

. . . . .

. . . . .

As expected, when Sookie walked into the house, everyone rushed over to her to say hello. As she began chatting with the guests, Luke and Lorelai took the container of food Sookie had brought to the kitchen.

They maneuvered around the people who were helping themselves to food and drinks, grabbed a couple of serving trays, and started unloading Sookie's treats onto them.

"Perfect timing. I was just about to take a break from making more food," Luke said.

Lorelai took a bite of one of the cookies and then moaned happily. "Oh, man, how I've missed Sookie's food in my life." She broke off a piece of the cookie and offered it to him. "Try this."

Luke tried it, then nodded approvingly. "That's good."

"I don't even know exactly what it is, but it's amazing," Lorelai said before popping the rest of it into her mouth.

When they finished arranging the food on the trays, Lorelai poured a drink for Sookie and then a new one for herself, having forgotten where she left her last one. Luke grabbed a beer and followed Lorelai back to the living room and over to Sookie, who was now talking to Rory and Lane near the fireplace.

As Lorelai handed Sookie a cup, she asked, "What are those chocolate cookies?"

Sookie's eyes widened with excitement. "Ooh, chocolate cherry pistachio! Did you try one? They're amazing, which sounds biased coming from me because I made them, but seriously, they are the greatest."

"They're incredible... I'm about two drinks away from trying to go make love to them." Lorelai glanced over at Luke. "Oh, sorry, hon. It's the sangria talking."

Luke smirked. "Right."

"Is Michel coming tonight?" Sookie asked.

"No, he and Frederick had plans," Lorelai replied. "Or so he said, I don't know if that was just an excuse."

"How do you think he's gonna take the news?" Sookie asked her.

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know, he'll probably hold a grudge for awhile. Just keep the container of fat-free granola fully stocked, that'll definitely help."

"Got it. Speaking of which, you know, if you're going for a healthier vibe at the spa, I have so many new healthy recipes I've been experimenting with," Sookie told her.

"Oh, yeah, that'd be great," Lorelai replied with an energetic nod. "We definitely want to have a lot of healthy options."

"What kind of menu ratio are you thinking?" Sookie asked. "Like half and half?"

Lorelai pondered for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, maybe... or maybe even sixty/forty in favor of the healthy stuff."

"We'll have to go through my recipes together and come up with a good selection," Sookie said. "We'll make sure there's a good balance on the menu."

"Yeah, we'll sit down in a few weeks and work all that out," Lorelai replied. "Plus, we don't want to duplicate what's already at the inn, we want to have different options so people feel like there are two separate, unique restaurants to eat at."

"Oh, yeah, good idea," Sookie agreed.

Luke had been watching them go back and forth, and he leaned in closer to them. "You do realize you're having a work meeting in the middle of your birthday party, right?"

Lorelai smiled at him, and then at Sookie. "Yes, but I'm having a work meeting with my best friend which I haven't done in a very long time, and I gotta tell you... it feels amazing."

"It does, it feels pretty darn good," Sookie said with a giggle. "Like old times."

"Well, I'm sorry to all of the other guests tonight, but I think my birthday present wins the party," Rory declared, holding up her hands in victory.

"I should just take mine back," Lane said. "There's no topping this one."

"Now, now, I will love everyone's gift equally," Lorelai said. "Well, unless someone got me George Clooney, then they win. Sorry, Sookie."

"I'm right there with ya," Sookie said. "I'd take Clooney over me any day."

"Wouldn't mind playing doctor with him, if you know what I mean," Lorelai said, then shot Luke an apologetic smile. "Oh, sorry again... that damn sangria keeps talking."

"Luke, how's April doing?" Sookie asked him.

Luke smiled. "She's good, thanks. She's finishing up her first year of grad school. She'll be coming to visit next month for a few days before she goes on vacation to Hawaii with her mom."

"Oh, cool," Sookie said. "That'll be fun."

"I'm so jealous," Lorelai said. " _That_ would've been a nice birthday present." She glanced around the room, calling, "Hey, did anyone get me a trip to Hawaii for my birthday? I wanna open your present first."

"That's a pretty big gift for 49," Rory remarked. "That's more of a present for 50."

"So, someone will get it for me next year?" Lorelai asked, smiling hopefully at Luke. "Huh, huh, please, pretty please?"

"Oh, boy, it's gonna be a long year of hearing about this," Luke muttered.

"Sorry, my fault," Rory said.

"Hey, where's Paul Anka?" Sookie asked. "Haven't seen him yet."

"He's hiding out upstairs," Lorelai replied. "I think he's starting to inherit Luke's hermit tendencies."

"Was bound to happen eventually," Luke said with a shrug.

. . . . .

. . . . .

Later in the evening, Luke walked over to Rory's bedroom to get the cake. He opened the door, surprised to see Rory sitting on her bed typing frantically on her phone. "Oh, sorry," he quickly said. "I didn't know you were in here. I was gonna put the candles on the cake."

Rory glanced up from her phone. "Oh, that's okay, I'm just finishing up," she said, and then returned to typing.

Luke lingered by the door until she finished and looked up again. "Everything okay?" he asked.

Rory stood up from the bed and put her phone in her pocket. "Yeah. I had an idea for a topic I want to touch on in the book, so I emailed it to myself before I forgot it."

"Oh, smart," Luke said, and he walked over to the cake box on her desk. He lifted off the lid, and then reached for the box of candles on the desk.

Rory walked over to him. "Want some help?"

"Oh, sure, thanks," he replied. He handed her half of the candles and they started putting them on the cake.

"Did you send anything to that editor you met yet?" he asked her.

"Not yet. I started reviewing the chapters that I was gonna send him to make sure that they were perfect, and all these rewrite ideas suddenly came to me," Rory said. "I emailed him to tell him that I'll be sending something in a few weeks. You know, just to sort of keep it fresh in his mind that he did offer to look at it."

"Good thinking." They were quiet for a moment as they arranged some more candles, then Luke said, "You know, you made your mom's night by getting Sookie here. She's so happy."

Rory smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad it worked out. I just assumed Sookie wouldn't be able to make it because of the long drive, but I figured I would at least mention the party to her and see if she was up for it. I was excited when she said yes."

"It was a really nice surprise."

"I was gonna tell you about it ahead of time, but I didn't want you to have to keep that secret from Mom," Rory told him. "It was hard enough for _me_ to keep it and I don't live with her and see her every single day."

Luke smiled and nodded understandingly. "Yeah, good idea... something might've slipped out."

As they were putting the rest of the candles on the cake, Lorelai walked into the room. "What's taking so long?" she asked. "I've got a crowd waiting for cake."

"It's your fault for having so many candles," Rory joked.

Lorelai gasped. "Mean."

"It's ready," Luke said. He stuck the lighter in his pocket and picked up the cake from the box. "We'll light it in there."

Rory put her arm around Lorelai. "Come on, birthday girl, let's go sing to you," she said, and they followed Luke to the living room.

 **. . . . .**

 **. . . . .**

The following week, Lorelai was at her desk in her office at the Dragonfly when Michel walked in with a stack of papers. "I just saw the accountant finally leave," he said. "Anything interesting?"

"No, everything's good, and I even managed to stay awake this time," Lorelai replied, then gestured to the papers in his hand. "What do you have?"

"I narrowed down the massage therapist resumes to the top four candidates," he said.

"Okay. Did you go online and make sure their licenses are current?"

"Of course I did. Now, did we decide to hire two or just one?"

Lorelai thought it over. "I think maybe just one for now. Let's see if the demand for it is there, and then we can add another one if we need to."

"Fine. Now, during the interviews, they're going to have to give us massages so we can test them out," Michel said. "I figured we could just set them up in here, unless you wouldn't find it awkward for us to be topless out in the lobby in front of the guests."

"Well, we could charge people admission, call it an adult show," Lorelai suggested.

Michel ignored her. "I'm going to book them for next week. Try to tense yourself up so they have something to work with."

"Not a problem."

Michel shuffled his papers. "Okay, I also have candidates for the manicurist position, the skin care specialists, the yoga instructor if we decide to offer that, and just in case..." Michel cleared his throat before quickly finishing with, "...some resumes for head chef."

Lorelai cocked her head to the side. "Michel."

"You believe her, I do not!" Michel declared firmly, his accent getting thicker with his anger. "She lied to us before about coming back and I will never trust her again!"

"She's coming back, Michel," Lorelai said calmly. "We don't need to look for a head chef. Get some resumes together for the other kitchen staff positions for Sookie to look over."

"She's gonna disappoint you, and you're gonna get all upset and become an empty shell all over again!"

"She's not going to disappoint us. It's a done deal, Michel."

"Hmph."

"Now, is there anything else you need from me?" Lorelai asked, then gestured to the papers in front of her. "It's late. I'm trying to finish this up before I head home."

"Oh, yeah... your husband is here."

Lorelai gasped loudly. "Ugh, I hate when you do that. Lead with that, Michel!" She jumped up from the desk and walked out of her office.

Michel followed her out. "If I had led with that, you would've jumped up and walked away just like you're doing now, and you wouldn't have heard any of the other stuff I had to say."

Michel stopped at the reservation desk and Lorelai continued to the front entryway where Luke was waiting. "Sorry, sorry, sorry," Lorelai apologetically greeted him. "Michel kept your visit a surprise until after he had a complete conversation with me."

"Yeah, I figured." He leaned in to kiss her. "Hi."

"Hi. What are you doing here? Everything okay?"

Luke took a deep breath and huffed it out quickly. He rubbed his temple. He shifted his feet.

Lorelai's eyes widened with concern. "No, it's clearly not okay. Luke, what is it?" she asked nervously.

"Uh, I have to tell you something that I really don't wanna tell you." He glanced around at the assorted guests and staff members wandering around, then gestured toward the front door. "Let's go outside for a second."

Lorelai's heart started racing as he took her hand and led her out the door onto the porch. "Luke, I'm freaking out right now. Is Rory okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Luke turned to face her, taking both of her hands into his. "When I got home, Paul Anka wasn't looking so great. He didn't get up when I walked in, he was just lying there next to the couch, looking exhausted, almost lethargic. He'd had an accident in his dog bed. I didn't know what to do, and I knew you had that late meeting with the accountant and I didn't wanna call you, so I just took him to the animal hospital."

Lorelai gasped. "He's there right now? You left him all alone? He's gonna be so scared!"

Luke shook his head. "He's okay, Babette went with me, she stayed with him so I could come talk to you in person. They're gonna run some tests, but I think maybe... he might be..." His voice trailed off. He couldn't even finish his thought, it was too hard to say out loud.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Why are you jumping to _that_ conclusion? Maybe he's just sick and it'll pass. Maybe it's the flu."

Luke doubtfully cocked his head to the side. "Lorelai."

"It could be the flu, Luke!" she insisted. "I'm sure dogs can get the flu!"

"He's 15 years old," Luke said delicately. "He's been acting a little off lately. You mentioned the other day that he hasn't had much energy. You've seen it... you've noticed how he's been acting."

Lorelai shook her head. "Yeah, but he's just in a rut! He'll snap out of it... he always snaps out of it."

Luke stepped closer to her and affectionately rubbed her upper arms. "I really hope you're right, and yes, he might just be sick... but I think we have to be prepared that he might not snap out of it this time."

Lorelai shook her head again. "No, Luke, he's fine... he'll be fine," she said firmly, trying to convince herself. "He's strong. He's fine."

But she knew that Luke could be right... that given his age, her beloved dog could potentially be starting to fade away. She glanced down at the ground for a moment and huffed out a sigh.

She brought her gaze back up to Luke with a look of sadness on her face, and she swallowed hard. "It's not fair that they don't live as long as us," she said in almost a whisper. "It's not fair."

Luke's arms embraced her in a hug. "I know it's not fair." He gently rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. "You want me to drive you or you wanna meet me there?"

"I'll come with you."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Their suspicions were confirmed, and they were told he could have anywhere from a few days to a few weeks left. They were given suggestions on how to make Paul Anka as comfortable as possible, and some signs to look for that might indicate he was in pain. At that point, they'd have to decide whether to let him finish his journey at home or at the vet.

When they brought him back home, they piled up some old blankets on the living room floor, and he cozied up in the center of them. Lorelai decided to sleep on the couch to be close to him. That first night, she was sitting next to him on the floor in her pajamas, not quite ready to go to sleep yet. Luke was upstairs in bed, the entire house was dark and quiet. She was petting Paul Anka's head with one hand and stroking his back with the other as she just listened to his breathing.

After a few minutes of sitting there silently, Lorelai exhaled a soft sigh before whispering, "So, I don't know how much longer you have left, buddy, but I'm gonna say this to you as often as I can while I still can." She took a deep breath and felt tears welling up in her eyes, and then leaned closer to speak into his ear. "We love you so much. You have been the craziest, quirkiest, most amazing dog anyone could've asked for. You made our lives better and happier and more fun, and I..." She paused to swallow the lump in her throat and wipe away her tears before continuing, "I don't know what I'm gonna do without you." She kissed the top of his head as she felt more tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm gonna miss you so much."

. . . . .

. . . . .

His symptoms progressed faster than they'd expected, and by day four, the tough decision was made to say goodbye.

When they arrived back at the house, Lorelai sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands. Luke sat down next to her and rubbed her back as she cried.

He'd gotten teary at the vet when they'd said their goodbyes, but had been trying to steel himself for her sake because she was not handling it well. He hadn't seen her face un-tear-stained in days, and all he could do was be her supportive shoulder to cry on.

When she finally lifted her head, she wiped away her tears. "I didn't expect it to happen so fast," she whispered, her lower lip quivering. "It just came out of nowhere and I wasn't ready for it and then all of a sudden, bam, it's over. I needed more time to get used to it. They said we could've had _weeks_ left."

"I know," he said calmly, his hand still moving gently up and down her back. "They said it's different for every dog. Some go faster than others."

"Well, it's just not fair," Lorelai muttered, sniffling as more tears fell. "I can't even imagine this house without him, Luke. Can _you_ imagine? Can you imagine coming home every day and he's not here?"

Luke shook his head, and he used his thumb to wipe her tears. "No, I can't. It's gonna be different."

"Insanely different. I don't want that kind of different." She leaned toward him and let her head rest on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her. "I'm sorry I'm a mess."

Luke kissed the top of her head. "Don't apologize. Be a mess for as long as you need to be."

. . . . .

. . . . .

When Lorelai woke up the next day, she was surprised to find Luke still in bed with her. She glanced at the clock, and then quickly sat up and nudged his back. "Luke," she whispered. "Wake up, you're late for work."

Luke rolled over to face her. "I'm up. I had Caesar open today." He reached over and rubbed her arm. "How'd you sleep?"

Lorelai rested her head back down against the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. "I dreamed about him," she said sadly.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not really... not right now."

"Okay."

They were both quiet for a few moments, and then Lorelai glanced over at him and a small smile formed on her lips. "You stayed home to make sure I was okay, didn't you?"

"Maybe."

She reached for his hand and brought it to her lips to press a kiss to his knuckles. "You're sweet."

Luke sat up next to her. "Are you sure you're okay to go the inn today?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. The interior designer we hired for the spa is meeting us this morning to go over some things... it'll be a good distraction." She held some strands of her hair out in front of her face to look at them. "Can I get away without washing my hair? Does it look greasy?"

"No, it looks okay." Luke pushed the covers off and climbed out of bed. "I'm gonna go make you something for breakfast."

Lorelai waved off that idea as she got out of bed. "I'm not hungry. I'll just have coffee."

"Lorelai, you've barely eaten in days," he reminded her. "You need food in you or you're gonna pass out."

"I'm not gonna pass out, I'm fine." She started rummaging through her dresser drawer.

He walked over to her and put his hand on the small of her back. "Lorelai, have something small at least... please?"

She glanced up at him, and the caring, concerned look on his face persuaded her into breakfast. "Fine... I'll have toast, okay?"

"Okay, good start. How about a little peanut butter on it for some protein?"

Lorelai squeezed her thumb and forefinger together. "A little bit," she agreed.

As she walked into the closet to pick out something to wear, Luke used the bathroom and brushed his teeth, then headed downstairs. He started the coffeemaker and got out the peanut butter, but didn't want to make the toast until she was ready for it.

He saw the dog bowls on the floor, and brought them over to the sink to start washing them out. He left them to dry on a towel on the counter, then decided to start collecting Paul Anka's things from around the house.

He grabbed an empty box from the back porch and started walking from room to room. He gathered up leashes, collars, toys, stuffed animals, tennis balls, old shoes he used as chew toys. He didn't dare throw anything out... he knew Lorelai would want to keep everything.

He set the box on the couch, then headed back into the kitchen to pour her coffee. When he heard her coming down the stairs, he put the bread in the toaster. He waited for her to come to the kitchen, and when she didn't, he started walking to the living room.

He saw her standing over the box rummaging through it. "Where's the stuffed lamb? Did you throw it out?" she asked worriedly. "That was his favorite to cuddle with!"

"I didn't throw anything out," Luke assured her as he walked over to her. "Everything I've found so far is in the box."

"Well, it's not in here," Lorelai said, and she anxiously glanced around the room. "Where is it?"

Luke rubbed her back and gently said, "We'll find it. It didn't leave on its own, it's here somewhere."

Lorelai looked over at the staircase. "Maybe it's up in the -" She suddenly cut herself off and glanced toward the front window. "We took it with us yesterday... to the vet."

Luke nodded. "That's right. I'll go get it," he offered, and he guided her toward the kitchen. "Go have some coffee. I'll get it from the car right now."

When Luke returned with the stuffed lamb, she was sitting at the table sipping her coffee. He handed her the toy and she exhaled a sigh of relief that it wasn't lost. "Thank you."

"Sure." He retrieved her toast from the toaster, spread some peanut butter on it, and set the plate in front of her. "Please eat."

"I will eat," she promised him.

"Make sure you eat lunch, too," he told her. "Stop at the diner. Or I can bring you something. Want me to bring you something? Or I can make you a sandwich right now to take with you... how about that?"

His concern for her was endearing, and she smiled appreciatively. "Hon, I'll be fine," she told him, then patted the table. "Just sit down and eat breakfast with me, okay?"

Luke grabbed a banana and poured himself some orange juice, then sat down beside her.

After she took her first bite of her toast, she made a point to hold it up to show him. "Look, let the record show that eating has occurred."

"Good. Keep it up."

As Lorelai took a second bite, she glanced down at the spot on the floor where Paul Anka would sit and wait for her to feed him from her plate. She brought her gaze to the sheep sitting on the table and sighed softly. Luke saw the sadness on her face, and wished he knew how to make her feel better.

"You know, we can get another pet," he suggested, then quickly added, "I mean, someday, when you're ready. I know it's too early to talk about that now... I was just throwing the idea out there."

Lorelai inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly before giving him a little nod. "Yeah, maybe, eventually." She took a bite of her toast, sipped her coffee, and then decided to bring up a happier subject. "So, let me tell you what I was thinking for Rory's baby shower."

"Okay."

"We'll have it at Miss Patty's, and it won't be one of those women-only things, it'll just be like a regular party. We can do it in early June, so hopefully by then Sookie and Jackson will be back, and we can tell Rory it's like a welcome back party for them," Lorelai explained. "You know, to get her there without being suspicious."

"Wait, so, it's a surprise party?" Luke asked, then narrowed his eyes with concern. "Are you supposed to surprise pregnant women?"

"Yeah, it's been a pretty longstanding tradition," Lorelai replied with a smirk. "Why, you think it might scare the baby out of her?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, I'm sure if we Googled 'surprise baby shower birth _'_ , we'd probably find some stories of that actually happening, but overall, yeah, it's usually fine surprising the pregnant woman with a party."

"Okay, just checking. That sounds good, then." He took a bite of his banana. "Any thoughts about dinner tonight?"

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, look, we've come full circle to the eating thing."

"It was part of the vows," Luke told her. "Make sure thy wife is fully nourished."

"You were doing that long before the vows," she said with a smile. "Long, long, long before."

"And I'm gonna keep doing it, so what do you want for dinner?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. Something light."

"Light, huh." Luke mulled it over, then suggested, "What about BLTs?"

Lorelai nodded approvingly. "Sold. That sounds good." She finished up the last bite of toast, chewed it, and then showed him her empty mouth. "Look, warden... all done."

Luke smiled. "Good job, I'm proud."

Lorelai drank some more coffee, then wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Okay, I gotta go to work." She stood up from the table and moved over to stand in front of him. She put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him gently before smiling warmly at him. "Thanks for breakfast, and for being patient with me, and for being adorably overbearing taking care of me."

Luke smiled. "You're welcome."

. . . . .

. . . . .

That afternoon, Lorelai was in her office at the inn when Rory called to see how she was doing. Shortly into the conversation, Rory casually asked, "So, what did you have for lunch today?"

"Oh, I had some..." Lorelai suddenly stopped talking, thought for a moment, and then asked her, "Did Luke ask you to make sure that I had lunch today?"

"What? No."

"Rory..."

"Okay, fine, yes."

Lorelai smiled into the phone. "Really? You talked to Luke today?"

"Yeah. Saw him, actually. I went to visit Lane and I had an ice cream craving, so we went to the soda shop," Rory explained. "Luke saw us through the window and came over to say hi."

"And casually suggested that if you talked to me today, to try to make sure I've been eating," Lorelai finished.

"Pretty much."

"Sweet man."

"Yeah."

"And yes, I ate lunch, I grabbed a salad here at the inn."

"Good. When I was in town, I ran into a few people who'd heard the news and wanted me to pass along condolences," Rory said. "I've had a lot of sad conversations today."

"Yeah, tell me about it... lots of sympathetic frowns here at the inn."

"I honestly can't believe you're at work," Rory told her. "How are you even functioning? You should be at home in pajamas eating ice cream."

"I needed to keep myself busy," Lorelai said. "Michel and I sat with the interior designer today to go through all these décor websites to pick out stuff for the spa, so that kept me distracted for a few hours this morning."

"Good. Distracted is good."

"Yeah. And Luke's been very... well, _Luke_. You know, comforting me, making sure I'm okay, making sure I'm eating, all that."

"That's probably _his_ distraction," Rory pointed out. "You're trying to distract yourself from sadness by focusing on work, he's distracting himself by focusing on you."

Lorelai thought that over for a moment. "Huh. I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah."

"How are _you_ doing with it? I'm sure it must be sad to lose your furry little brother."

"Yeah, it's sad... he was a good dog. And I know he was someone to use your maternal instincts on when I wasn't around, so... when I think about how _you_ must be feeling, it makes me feel even sadder. I just feel bad."

"Yeah." Lorelai frowned and then shook her head slightly. "Okay, let's not make the entire conversation depressing... tell me something non-sad."

"Okay. Well, I think... I'm not a hundred percent sure... but I _think_ I might be ready by the end of the week to send over the first chunk of chapters to the editor from Donald's party," Rory said. "I'm just about finished with the rewrites."

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, good, that's exciting."

"Yeah, but I'm really nervous," Rory admitted. "What if he hates it? What if I've been spending all this time working on it and he tells me it's going nowhere and not even worth finishing?"

"Well, then, you'll run out and steal a yacht to make yourself feel better."

Rory gasped. "Mom!"

"What, too soon?"

"I'm serious, though. What if he hates it?"

"Hey, enough of that," Lorelai scolded her. "Go into this with a positive outlook, and remember he said he's going to give you _feedback_... that means if there are things he doesn't like, he'll tell you how to make them better. You're gonna get valuable advice from a real book editor. That's an amazing opportunity."

Rory exhaled a deep breath. "Yeah, it is... you're right."

"Put that in the dedications please," Lorelai requested. " _To my beautiful mother, who is always right."_

"I will."

"So, what else is going on?"

"Well, I've been so preoccupied with writing that I haven't really gotten anything for the baby yet, so I was thinking I should probably start buying some things. You know, toys and clothes and... uh, whatever else babies need," Rory said. "Logan gave me that credit card to use for baby stuff and I've only used it on clothes for me so far."

Lorelai's eyes nervously widened. She didn't want Rory to buy too many baby things before the surprise baby shower. "You know, I'll help you with that, but usually there are a lot of good sales on baby stuff in June, so we might wanna hold off for just a few more weeks."

"Really, June? Why would baby stuff go on sale in June?"

"I'm not sure, it must be some weird marketing thing," Lorelai quickly replied. "And you know I love a good sale, so it'll be some good mother/daughter bonding if we could just wait for those and do some baby supply shopping together."

"Uh, okay... I guess I can wait a few weeks."

"Why don't you start by making a list of all the stuff you need and then we'll be all ready to go come June. You're good at making lists."

"Okay. I have no idea what I need, but I'll try to start with the basics," Rory said. "Oh, I bet I can find some sort of starter list online for new mothers to give me an idea."

"Definitely, good idea," Lorelai said. "Anything else going on?"

"Um, pretty much just writing, writing, and more writing," Rory replied. "I've been jumping back and forth between working on the book and writing some articles and reviews for that book website."

"Well, make sure you take some breaks, give yourself some non-writing time to relax," Lorelai said.

"I am. That's why I got out of the house a little today and went to see Lane," Rory replied. "Two hours to just let my mind settle down. Now I'm back home and back at the writing."

"Okay, I'll let you get back to it. Thanks for checking up on me."

"Call me if you need me," Rory told her, and then her voice softened as she added, "And Mom, remember, everyone in Stars Hollow loved him... everyone misses him. You have a lot of support around you from people who share your feelings right now. You're not going through it alone."

Lorelai felt a sudden wave of emotions rush through her. "I know. Thanks, kid."

"Bye, Mom."

Lorelai hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment, thinking about their conversation, and then thinking about Luke. She suddenly stood up, grabbed her purse, and walked out of her office. She told Michel she'd be right back, and then she drove to the diner.

When she walked in, Luke was surprised to see her, and he walked out from behind the counter to greet her. "Hey... you okay?" he asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. I just wanted to tell you something in person." She glanced around at the customers, then gestured toward the door. "Can we go outside for a minute?"

"Sure."

Luke followed her out onto the sidewalk, and they walked a few feet away from the door before turning to face each other.

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Yesterday, I asked you if you could imagine coming home to the house without him being there, and you said no," she said, and then she shook her head slightly. "But it wasn't until just a few minutes ago that I realized that you literally _can't_... because you haven't ever lived in that house without him."

Luke shook his head. "No, I haven't."

Lorelai felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. "Paul Anka was there when you moved in... he was always living in that house for as long as _you've_ been."

"He was," Luke confirmed with a nod.

Lorelai frowned sympathetically and reached for his hands. "We _both_ lost someone really important that we lived with and took care of, and I know it's gotta be hard for you, too. I've been a little consumed with my own sadness the past few days, but I didn't mean to ignore yours."

"I know."

"I mean, I didn't even consider the fact that you were maybe going into work late today because _you_ were sad... I just assumed it was for _me._ Which, in my partial defense, is because that's totally something you'd do for me."

"That _is_ why I went in late today."

"Of course it is, because you're the sweetest man in the world," Lorelai said. "But still... the point is, I shouldn't have assumed that. And then you went out of your way to make sure I was okay this morning, and I don't even think I asked you how _you_ were feeling about all this."

"It's okay," he told her.

"No, it's not okay," she said, shaking her head. "I feel bad. Because I know I'm not going through this alone. I'm not the only one dealing with a lot of emotions right now. I know you're sad, too... that you miss him just as much as I do."

Luke nodded. "Of course I do."

"You don't have to pretend not to be sad for my sake, or put aside your own mourning period," Lorelai continued. "If you need time to yourself, do that. If you want to talk, I can listen... I can be sad _and_ be there for you at the same time, just like you've been doing for me. We should be taking care of each other, not just you taking care of me, okay?"

Luke nodded understandingly. "Okay."

Lorelai squeezed his hands. "Okay, good."

Luke stepped toward her and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head against his shoulder as she hugged him back.

"I miss him a lot," she whispered, sniffling back tears.

"Me, too," he replied.

When they separated, Lorelai took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, trying to calm her emotions. "I have to get back to the inn. I told Michel I wouldn't be long."

Luke cocked his head to the side. "You really left work in the middle of the day just to come tell me that stuff?"

"Yeah."

Luke smiled. "That was nice... you didn't have to do that."

"I needed to, it was important," Lorelai said. "I didn't want you to be here thinking about _me_ being sad without knowing that I'm over there thinking about _you_ being sad." She paused a moment and added, "Wow, we sound like a really fun couple."

Luke smiled and brushed some strands of hair away from her face. "I love you," he said softly.

"I love you, too." Lorelai leaned in to kiss him. "I'll see you at home."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**

.

 **Author's note:** Sorry for the heavy chapter. :(


	11. Chapter 11

**Officially Married - Chapter 11**

. . . . .

. . . . .

Over the next few weeks, activity at the spa picked up as furniture and other décor started to arrive, and interviews began for the open staff positions. Sookie and Jackson closed on their new house and would be back permanently in Stars Hollow by the end of May. Lorelai sent out the invitations for Rory's surprise baby shower, which would be taking place the first Saturday of June. April finished her first year of grad school and visited Stars Hollow for a few days in May before flying out to see her Mom for their vacation to Hawaii.

When Luke got back from dropping April off at the airport, Lorelai was sitting on the front porch with a glass of wine. As Luke sat down beside her, she offered him her glass, which he sipped and handed back to her. She adjusted her body so she was leaning against him with the back of her head resting against his chest.

"How was the drive?" she asked.

"Not bad, no traffic at this hour," Luke replied.

"Good. The benefit of booking a flight that leaves at 10:30 at night."

"Yeah." Luke paused a moment and cleared his throat. "So, you know, I was thinking on the drive home that if you really did want to take that trip next year, we could probably look into it."

Lorelai turned to look at him, her eyes wide. "Really? Hawaii?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind checking that place out. Let's do some research, see how much it would cost."

Lorelai grinned. "That would be amazing."

Luke smiled and rubbed her arm. "Thought you might like that idea."

"Was this idea influenced by the undertones of jealousy on my face every time April mentioned her trip over the past few days?"

"A little bit," Luke replied with a smirk. "And they weren't undertones... they were full-on, hardcore looks of jealousy. I think there might have been drool involved."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Sorry. It was uncontrollable."

"I know," Luke replied. "Oh, and she appreciated the money. I told her it was from both of us, and she said to say thanks."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, good."

Right before he was about to drive April to the airport, Luke had taken Lorelai aside to discuss maybe giving April some spending money for her vacation. They agreed on an amount, and he stopped at an ATM to withdraw the cash for her on the way to the airport.

Lorelai took a sip of her wine, and then said, "Those were some excellent communicating skills we showed, by the way."

"When?"

"When you wanted to give her money and we had a conversation about it and came to an agreement," Lorelai replied. "You could've left for the airport, given her some money in the car, and then told me about it when you got back. Or what would've happened years ago is that you'd just not mention it at all. But nope, we nailed it. I almost wanna book an appointment with Dr. Flint just so we can go in and brag about it."

Luke smiled. "I love how it's become our new normal to communicate, but we still pat ourselves on the back for doing it."

Lorelai smiled as she shrugged. "Well, it took a long time for us to get to this point, I think we deserve to celebrate our victories."

"Agreed."

Lorelai leaned in and kissed him. "Good job to us."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few days before Rory's baby shower, Lorelai was at the diner with Babette and Miss Patty finalizing the details. As Luke came over to refill their coffees, Lorelai said, "Ooh, good, we need you."

"Well, we need those beautiful muscles of yours," Miss Patty added, giving Luke a wink.

Luke glanced awkwardly from her to Lorelai. "What's up?"

"Can you help Morey set up some tables and chairs on Friday night in the studio?" Lorelai asked him. "And if some persuasion is needed, the ladies here have suggested multiple ways for me to bribe you in private."

Luke quickly shook his head. "Nope, not needed, I can do it."

Lorelai smiled up at him. "Thanks."

"You want anything else to eat?" he asked as he cleared their empty plates from the table.

Lorelai glanced toward the pie on the counter. "Is that blueberry pie?"

"Yup."

"I'll have that, please... with vanilla ice cream."

"Anything else for you two?" he asked Patty and Babette.

"No, thanks, I gotta get home in a few," Babette said.

"And I've got a class in ten minutes," Miss Patty said.

"Okay, we'll finish up," Lorelai said, and as Luke walked away to get her pie, she scribbled some notes on the paper in front of her. "Okay, recap... setup starts at 11:30. Lane's going to help me put up decorations. Babette, you and Kirk are setting up the drinks and the snacks. Patty, you're getting the cake from Weston's at 12:30. Guests will start arriving around 1:30, and Rory should be there at 2." She exhaled a sigh and smiled at them. "This might actually work out okay."

"It'll be great, honey," Babette said, patting her hand.

"It'll go off without a hitch," Miss Patty said.

"Thank you so much for your help," Lorelai said appreciatively. "Seriously."

Luke returned with Lorelai's pie, and Miss Patty and Babette stood up to leave. As they walked out, Luke sat down at the table. "Everything planned out?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Lorelai replied with a nod, and then ate a forkful of pie. "As long as Rory doesn't throw us for a loop and show up early, we should be good." She grinned excitedly. "She's gonna be so surprised. I can't wait to see her face."

"And looks like it'll be a good turnout, right?"

"Yeah, almost everyone I invited said yes," Lorelai replied. "It's gonna be great."

"Luke, order's up," Caesar called from the kitchen.

Luke stood up from the table, but before walking away, leaned his face close to hers and lowered his voice. "By the way, you _are_ gonna let me know what those bribery suggestions were, right?"

Lorelai grinned. "I'll show you tonight."

"Thank you." Luke smiled and kissed her. "I'll be right back."

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Saturday morning, Lorelai was taking a shower and Luke was down in the kitchen starting breakfast when the house phone rang.

"Hello?" Luke answered.

"Hey, Luke," Rory greeted him. "Is Mom there? She didn't answer her cell."

"She's in the shower," he replied. "Is everything okay? Want me to go get her?"

"Uh, no, that's okay. I'm fine, but can you just let her know that I can't make it to Sookie's party today? Or, actually, I guess I can just text her and let her know."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Sookie's party?"

"Yeah. Isn't it this afternoon at Miss Patty's?" Rory asked. "Or did I write the date down wrong?"

Luke smacked his forehead, remembering that Rory thought what was actually her surprise baby shower was a welcome back party for Sookie and Jackson. "Right, right, yeah, the party's today. Uh, why can't you make it, what's going on?"

"Uh, well, actually..." Rory took a deep breath before finishing with, "Logan's coming into town today."

Luke's eyes widened with surprise. "Really? Logan, huh?"

"Yeah, I just found out late last night. He has some interviews lined up in New York next week, so he decided to fly in a few days early to see me so we can talk about everything."

"Oh. Well, that's good." Luke paused a moment. "It's good, right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Rory agreed. "I think it's good."

"So, you have to miss the whole party? You can't stop by for just a little while?"

"He's landing at JFK and then driving to Connecticut, and said he'd probably get to my house around 2:30 or 3. So I figured if the party starts at 2, I'd have to leave right away anyway."

Luke exhaled a deep breath and rubbed his temple. "Oh, I see. Um..." It only took him a split second to decide between spoiling the surprise for Rory or telling Lorelai that her daughter couldn't make it to her own baby shower. "Listen, Rory, I gotta tell you something. Hold on a second."

"Okay."

Luke walked out the back door and around to the side of the house. "Okay, you there?" he asked.

"I'm here."

Luke lowered his voice to a soft whisper. "Listen... the party today isn't for Sookie."

"It's not?" Rory asked confusedly.

"No. It's a surprise baby shower for you."

Rory gasped into the phone. "What? Are you kidding?"

"No. Your mom's been planning it for a few weeks, and she's put a lot of time and energy into it," Luke told her.

"Aw, that's so sweet," Rory said softly. "And that totally explains why she didn't want me to shop for baby stuff until June."

"It's been helping her get through the Paul Anka stuff. She's been focusing on you and that party and there's been a decrease in crying lately, and I don't have tell you how much of a relief that is because I know you hate seeing your mom upset just as much as I do."

"Of course I do."

"But if I have to go up there and tell her that you can't make it, she's gonna be really disappointed and there will be tears," Luke told her. "She's just really excited about having this party for you, and I really, really need for us to figure out a way to make this work. It's really important, okay?"

"Yeah, I understand, I'll - "

"You can bring Logan to the party," Luke interrupted her. "Or if that might be weird for you, just ask if he can come to your house a few hours later. Or I can go meet him at your house and let him in so he can hang out there until you get back. Hell, I'll take him out for a few beers to kill some time, if you want. Or maybe he - "

"Luke!" Rory interrupted with a laugh. "I get it, I'll make it work, I'll figure it out. I'll be at the party... I'll be there at 2, that's when Mom told me to come."

Luke exhaled a sigh of relief. "Rory, _thank you_ ," he said appreciatively. "This means a lot to her."

"So, should I pretend to be surprised? Or are you gonna tell her that I know?"

The question made Luke pause with uncertainty. "Oh... um, I don't know. Let me think about that for a second."

Luke closed his eyes and played out the scenarios in his head, whether he should tell Lorelai up front that Rory knows about the shower or just let her think Rory was surprised.

"You can pretend to be surprised for the town's sake," he finally replied to Rory. "But I'll tell your mom that you know. I don't wanna keep that from her."

"Okay. I'll see you this afternoon. Bye, Luke."

"Bye."

Luke headed back into the house. Lorelai hadn't come downstairs yet, so he headed up to the bedroom to talk to her. The bathroom door was open and he could hear the hairdryer going, so he lingered in the bedroom until he heard her turn it off.

Luke walked to the door and knocked on the doorframe to get her attention. "Hey."

Lorelai smiled over at him. "Hi. Breakfast ready?"

"Uh, almost," Luke replied. "I wanna ask you about something when you're done in here. Take your time, it's no rush." He said it as nonchalantly as he could so as not to alarm her, and it seemed to work. She didn't look fazed in the least.

"Okay. I'll be out in a minute," she said before turning back to the mirror

Luke sat down on the bench at the foot of the bed and started going over in his head what he wanted to say to her. When she walked out of the bathroom, she sat down beside him.

"I wanna ask you something hypothetical just to get your opinion and make sure we're on the same page," Luke said. "Okay? All hypothetical."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay, shoot."

"Let's say that I let you believe something is true when I know it's _not_ true, just because you thinking it's true would make you feel really happy," Luke said, then he paused to replay the sentence in his head. "Did that make sense?"

"Yeah, but I don't know where you're going with it."

"Okay, well, let's say I let you believe it and you were really happy and everything," Luke continued. "But it's still technically considered a lie or deception or something, right? If the truth eventually came out and you found out that I let you believe something was true when it wasn't, would you feel betrayed? Even if you had been really happy at the time?"

Lorelai was starting to feel nervous about the line of questioning, but was trying not to overreact to it. Instead, she thought over his words for a moment, and then finally countered with, "So, basically, it would be like if I faked an orgasm."

Luke's eyes widened, not expecting that comparison to be thrown back at him. "What?!"

"Yeah, that's what you're describing," she said. "Think about it. If I faked an orgasm to make you happy, and then later on after the fact, you found out that it was all an act, that it wasn't a true orgasm, how would you feel? Betrayed? Upset?"

"Uh, yeah, I'd feel crappy," Luke muttered.

"So, there you go, there's your answer," Lorelai replied, and then she patted his knee. "Luke, what's this about?"

Luke took a deep breath. "While you were in the shower, Rory called and said that Logan's coming into town this afternoon, and that she wasn't gonna be able to make it to the party."

Lorelai gasped and her eyes widened. "What?! Are you serious?"

Luke nodded and he held up his hand. "Hold on, there's more. So, to make her realize that it was kind of important for her to come, I had to tell her it was her baby shower. So, she knows about it now and said she's definitely gonna be there."

Lorelai put her hand on her chest. "Oh, my God. You just gave me a heart attack and then resuscitated me all in a ten second time frame." She exhaled a deep breath. "Okay, so, she's coming now? For sure?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, she said she would make it work. I don't know what her plan is."

Lorelai let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good, everything's okay. She's coming, it just won't be a surprise."

"Well, actually... I told her to _pretend_ to be surprised," Luke explained. "You know, so the town would still think she was."

"Oh, okay." Lorelai stared at him for a few seconds as she applied his earlier hypothetical scenario to this situation. "So... you were debating whether or not to let _me_ think she was surprised, just like the town," she determined. "And you decided not to."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, it didn't feel right. I think I would've felt guilty keeping it from you," he said. "And also paranoid that you would find out the truth eventually and then you'd be mad and it might ruin the happy memories you had of the baby shower."

"I probably would've felt the same way if the roles were reversed," Lorelai said, and then she wrinkled her nose a little. "I think that's gonna be where this whole communicating thing might cause some predicaments. Last year, we probably wouldn't have thought twice about telling a little white lie like that for the other's own good, but now... different story."

"Yeah. We're gonna overthink things like this."

Lorelai nodded and then gestured between the two of them. "But a talk like this is how we'll deal with it. We'll just lay it all out and talk it through." She patted him on the arm. "So... you did good."

Luke smirked. "Another pat on the back for us."

Lorelai giggled. "We are getting _so_ good at acknowledging how great we are." She kissed him, and then started to stand up. "I gotta finish getting ready."

Luke reached out and grabbed her hand. "Hey, wait a second, one more thing."

Lorelai sat back down next to him. "What?"

"Can we just go back to that whole, uh... _faking_ thing?"

Lorelai smirked. "Don't worry, it was a purely hypothetical scenario."

"So, you've never... done that?" he asked hesitantly.

Lorelai was smiling as she cocked her head to the side and rolled her eyes slightly. "Oh, come on... you know the answer to that, Luke. The fact that you're even asking is absurd."

"Okay, yes, I know the answer, but it doesn't hurt to get reassurance every once in awhile."

"To fuel your own ego about how amazing you are at satisfying me?"

"Yup."

Lorelai smiled amusedly and moved over to straddle his lap with her knees. His hands gripped her waist as they shared a passionate kiss. She pulled back from his lips and declared, "I, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, do solemnly swear that every orgasm you have witnessed overtaking my body has been one hundred percent _au naturale_."

Luke smiled. "Thank you." He pulled her into another kiss, and as his tongue separated her lips and explored her mouth, she moaned softly and contently.

When they finally parted for breath, they shared a smile. "Save those thoughts for tonight... we'll add another _au naurale_ to the list," Lorelai said.

"Maybe I'll add _two_ ," he countered with a wink.

Lorelai grinned. "Oh, wow, someone's feeling confident today." She kissed him again before climbing off his lap. As she headed toward the bathroom, she called over her shoulder, "I'll be down in a few minutes for breakfast."

. . . . .

. . . . .

There was a flurry of people and activity in the dance studio as they got ready for the shower. Once the setup was finalized and guests started to arrive, Lorelai was able to relax a little. She and Luke were walking around greeting people when they saw Emily walk through the doorway, and they walked over to say hello.

"Hey, Mom," Lorelai said.

"Lorelai, hello," Emily said, then nodded at Luke. "Luke."

"Emily," Luke replied, returning the nod. "Glad you could make it."

Emily offered Luke her car keys. "I have gifts in the trunk that need to be brought in, would you mind?"

"Oh, sure," Luke replied, taking her keys. "I'll be right back."

As he walked out, Lorelai brought Emily over to get a drink. Luke returned with an armful of gifts that he placed on the gift table, then brought Emily's keys to her. The three of them stood chatting for a few minutes, and then went off to mingle with other guests.

"Rory's car just pulled up," Liz called from near the front window, and several people started hushing the crowd.

Everyone was quiet as they watched the doorway, waiting for Rory to appear. The door started to slide open and Rory stepped through, and the chorus of "Surprise!" legitimately startled her even though she was expecting it.

Rory gasped and her eyes widened. "Oh, my God!" Her gaze moved around the room until it landed on Lorelai, and she gave her a warm smile. "Mom... this has your fingerprints all over it."

"Guilty," Lorelai replied, and then gestured toward the crowd. "With a lot of accomplices."

Rory smiled. "Thank you everyone, I appreciate this so much."

People started moving toward Rory to greet her and it took a minute or two before she made her way over to Lorelai.

Rory hugged her mom tightly. "Thank you for doing this," she said sincerely.

"You're welcome," Lorelai replied, then whispered into her ear, "And later on, you need to fill me in on the male visitor situation." She pulled back with a smile.

Rory nodded. "I will," she promised, and then she glanced around the room. "You've outdone yourself."

"Well, it's a special occasion." Lorelai gestured toward some of the décor. "And since you don't know the sex yet, we went with a nice variety of colors."

"I like it," Rory said approvingly. "Much better than just the usual blue or pink motif."

"I thought so." Lorelai glanced past Rory as a familiar face caught her eye across the room, and she gasped. "Turn around... look who just got here."

"Who?" Rory asked as she turned around. She saw Mia walking toward them, and she gasped. "Mia!" she exclaimed, and rushed toward her with Lorelai following right behind.

"I cannot believe this baby is having a baby!" Mia greeted them as they embraced in a group hug. As they separated, Mia cradled Rory's face. "Let me look at you... so beautiful and grown up. You're glowing. Have people been telling you that? It's true."

"Yes, they have," Rory replied with a nod. "And thank you."

"What about me? Am I glowing?" Lorelai asked.

"Always," Mia replied. "You've been glowing since the day I met you." She took a moment and surveyed Lorelai from top to bottom. "But something's different since the last time I saw you... there's an extra sparkle." She reached for Lorelai's hand and ran her thumb over her wedding ring. "Oh, maybe it has something to do with this... someone's got a _married glow_ now."

Lorelai grinned and nodded, proudly showing off her ring. "It does accentuate my skin, doesn't it?"

"It certainly does," Mia told her, then apologetically added, "I'm sorry we couldn't make it to the wedding. We'd already had our vacation booked for that week."

"It's okay, I know it was last minute," Lorelai replied. "We got your card. Did you get the thank you note?"

Mia nodded. "We did."

"How's Howard?" Rory asked Mia. "Did he come with you?"

"Yes, he did, he's doing well. He's going to come by later on, but he needed a nap after that long drive, so he's back at the room," Mia replied, then smiled as she squeezed Lorelai's arm. "The one your mom booked for us at that beautiful inn of hers. I swear, it gets more lovely every time I see it."

"Thank you," Lorelai replied with a grin. "You know that means the world to me coming from you." She glanced around the room. "I don't know where Luke is, he was just here a minute ago. He was so happy when he heard you were coming."

"I'll track him down," Mia said, then gestured behind them. "I see Emily and Sookie over there, I'm gonna go say hello."

Mia walked off, and Lorelai put her arm around Rory. "Okay, let's get you fed and hydrated."

They grabbed drinks and snacks, and Rory made the rounds for awhile to chat with the guests. When she needed a little air, she walked over to Lorelai and asked her to come outside with her.

They walked down the sidewalk and sat down on a bench. "So, tell me what's going on," Lorelai said, then she quickly added, "Oh, wait, before I forget, we _have_ to go see _Wonder Woman_ this week. Mandatory girls' night out."

Rory smiled. "Okay."

"Okay, now fill me in."

"Well, Logan called me last night and said he had some interviews lined up in New York this week, but he was coming in a few days early so he could see me and we could chat and kind of... get things in order."

"Okay..."

"He was gonna meet me at my place this afternoon, but when I found out about the shower, I asked him to hold off until tomorrow," Rory continued. "I didn't want to tell him to come later tonight, and then be worried about having to leave the party early or having to rush home. I wanted to be able to enjoy it and hang out with you afterwards. "

Lorelai smiled and rubbed Rory's arm. "That was nice, thank you. So, where is he?"

"His family's apartment in New York," Rory replied. "He wants to get his own, but not until he's sure he has a job there."

"Right, makes sense," Lorelai said.

"I decided while I have the chance to do it in person, I'm going to talk to him about the whole... you know, relationship thing. I figured it might be good to just get it out of the way."

"And your thoughts on that are still the same?"

"Yeah. I need to focus on being a good mom and I need him to focus on being a good dad," Rory said. "I don't want to complicate things. I think it's maybe easier to go into this whole thing as friends."

"I understand," Lorelai said with a nod.

Rory shrugged and added, "I mean, I don't know if 6 months or a year from now, I'll feel differently about the situation, but... this is how I think it should be for now."

"You'll play it by ear," Lorelai said.

"Yeah."

"I think that's smart."

"I should hear back from the editor next week about the chapters I sent him. He'd said to give him about a month, that he had a couple of deadlines coming up that he needed to focus on first. I'm a little nervous about what he might say."

"Remember, any feedback is important," Lorelai said. "Good or bad, it's all helpful."

"I'm not gonna be done with the book before the baby comes like I wanted to be," Rory said sadly. "I mean, I'll be close, but I don't think I can finish it."

"You made good progress though," Lorelai told her. "You wanted to get a lot of it done and you did. Sure, it would've been nice to get it _all_ done, but don't discount what you did get done just because it's not all of it. You've been working really hard and you've been really productive. Be proud of that."

Rory looked at Lorelai for a moment, almost in awe. "How do you do that? How do you always stay positive and know exactly what to say? And how do I learn how to do that so I can do it to this one?" she asked, patting her stomach.

Lorelai smiled and leaned in to kiss Rory's forehead. "It'll come naturally. You've already got it in you... you've picked me up when I've been down plenty of times."

"Yeah, I guess," Rory agreed, then glanced toward Miss Patty's. "We should probably go cut the cake and start opening the presents, or else we're gonna be here until midnight."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Okay." They stood up and headed back to the party.

. . . . .

. . . . .

The party started to wind down around six, and the gifts were loaded into Luke's truck to take to Rory's house when she was ready to head home. In the meantime, after cleaning up the dance studio, the few remaining guests were invited back to Luke and Lorelai's to hang out. They had drinks and leftover food from the party as they chatted in the living room.

Rory excused herself to go to the bathroom, and when she didn't come back for awhile, Lorelai went to check on her. The bathroom was empty, and she found Rory in her old bedroom lying on the bed. Lorelai slipped into the room and shut the door.

"You okay?" Lorelai asked as she sat on the edge of the bed. "You tired?"

"No, I'm just thinking," Rory replied, and then she let out a dejected sigh. "Opening those gifts and seeing all of those baby products today made me realize that... I am so not ready for this."

Lorelai gasped. "What? Why? Of course you are."

"Some of those things, I didn't even know what they were for!" Rory exclaimed. "How can I raise a kid when I don't even know how to use the baby stuff?"

"Hello, do you think you slid out of me and I instantly knew how to raise a kid?" Lorelai countered. "You learn as you go. You ask questions. You have people and resources around you to help you figure things out. You're not expected to know everything."

Rory sat up on the bed. "But there was that thing that looked like the bulb of a baster," she described as she made a squeezing motion with her fingers. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

Lorelai smiled. "It's to clean out the baby's nose when it's stuffy."

Rory's eyes widened. "I have to _baste_ the baby's nose?"

"Well, they don't really respond to 'come on, kid, blow your nose for me', so you just go in there and suck it right out."

Rory made a face. "Oh, God."

Lorelai waved it off. "Trust me, it's not as bad as it sounds... you'll get used to it."

Rory fell back against the pillow with a sigh, and Lorelai moved to lie beside her. Rory rested her head against Lorelai's shoulder.

"Listen... it's stressful being a mom, I'm not gonna lie," Lorelai said. "From day one until infinity, it's all about worrying and wondering if your kid is okay and making sure you're setting a good example and convincing yourself that _The Breakfast Club_ is okay for them to watch because it can teach them valuable life lessons. But being a mom is also fun and amazing and rewarding and the greatest thing I've ever done in this world. You're gonna develop this amazing bond and have a best friend for life, like I do." Lorelai leaned in and kissed Rory on the cheek. "It's normal to be scared, but don't let it ruin the good stuff that you have to look forward to... okay?"

"There you go again, knowing exactly what to say," Rory remarked, and Lorelai smiled at her. Rory took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Okay. I'll try to relax and focus on the good stuff."

"Good girl. And if you want to feel like you're more prepared, there are a ton of books about parenting you can check out," Lorelai told her. "It might help you feel less nervous."

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I have a couple of those books at home. I've been flipping through them occasionally, but maybe I'll start really focusing on them."

Lorelai rubbed her arm. "Good. What do you say we go have another one of those brownies with the cookie crust, and then get you home? Luke and I will follow you in the truck and unload the gifts."

"Okay." As they both sat up on the bed, Rory reached for Lorelai's arm. "Mom?"

Lorelai turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

Rory reached over and hugged her tightly, whispering, "Thank you."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next day, Lorelai and Luke had breakfast with Mia and Howard at the inn before they started their drive back home.

"So, when is the spa opening?" Mia asked. "We'll have to stay there the next time we visit."

"June 30th is the grand opening, just in time for the Independence Day festival weekend," Lorelai replied. "July 4th is on a Tuesday, but they always hold the festival on the weekend closest to it when it's on a weekday."

"That's less than a month away," Howard said. "That's exciting."

"Yeah, the next few weeks are going to be insanely busy," Lorelai said, and then looked over at Luke. "Be prepared for Crazy-Stressed-Lorelai."

"Always am," Luke confirmed.

Mia clasped her hands together in front of her chest and smiled at them from across the table. "Look at you two, together and gorgeous and happy."

Lorelai smiled. "We were together and gorgeous and happy the last time you saw us, too," she reminded her. "Which feels like forever ago... when was that, 2013?"

"Yeah, we're gonna try not to wait so long before the next visit," Mia assured her.

"Good, we miss you," Lorelai said.

"So, we didn't really get to talk much about Rory yesterday," Mia said. "You wanna fill me on that situation?"

"Well, nothing's really changed since what I told you a few weeks ago," Lorelai replied. As soon as Mia had received the baby shower invitation, she had emailed Lorelai immediately for the scoop.

"So, you said the father of the baby is in London, he's wealthy, she isn't in a relationship with him, but he's gonna help raise the child?" Mia asked. "Is that right?"

"Well, the term we've been using is _be involved_ but I don't really know yet if that's the same thing as _help raise_ ," Lorelai said, using air quotes around both phrases. "He says he's planning to move to New York if he lands a job there so he can be closer and..." She used air quotes again as she finished with, "Be involved."

"I see," Mia said.

"He's actually in town now and they're meeting up today for the first time since she told him about the pregnancy," Lorelai said. "Hopefully everything goes okay."

"It will," Luke said confidently. "He's not stupid enough to come into town and do anything to upset her. Otherwise, he and I will have a little chat, preferably in a dark alley with no witnesses."

Mia gasped and shook her head. "Tsk, Lucas, you will do no such thing. No violence."

"I said chatting, chatting is not violent," he assured her. "Chatting is chatting."

"You've been protective of that little girl since you met her," Mia said. "If she's upset, you'll be tempted to do more than just chat to the person who caused it."

Lorelai smirked. "Don't worry, Mia... he's all talk. He knows his girls don't condone violence unless it's in self defense or in a hectic store during a really good shoe sale."

"Okay, good, keep him in line," Mia said with a smile.

"Oh, trust me, she does," Luke muttered.

Lorelai playfully nudged her shoulder into his. "You love it," she said, and they shared a smile.

An hour later, they were outside saying goodbye at the car, and Mia put her hands on Lorelai's shoulders. "You make sure you keep me posted... I want an email with a picture when that baby comes."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "You got it."

Mia glanced behind Lorelai at the inn, and then smiled at Lorelai. "I'm so proud of you," she said sincerely. "You have come so far. This place is beautiful, _you_ are beautiful, your life is beautiful... you keep it up and make sure you appreciate it every day, okay? Promise?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded affirmatively. "I promise."

"And you take care of this guy," Mia said, gesturing to Luke beside her. "And let him take care of you. Take care of each other."

Lorelai smiled at Luke as she replied, "We will."

"We'll try to make a trip up next year," Mia told them. "And if you're ever down near us, you have a place to stay anytime."

The four of them exchanged hugs, then Luke and Lorelai watched them pull away.

Lorelai exhaled a sigh and folded her arms across her chest. "It's always great to see her, but I get so sad when she leaves."

"I know. Me, too."

When the car disappeared from their sight, Luke gestured toward his truck. "I'm gonna head to the diner. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm gonna be here for a few hours, then head to the spa," Lorelai said.

"Okay. Call me if you hear from Rory. I wanna know how it goes today, and if I'm gonna have to chat with anyone in an alley."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "I will." She leaned in and kissed him. "Bye."

"Bye."

. . . . .

. . . . .

That afternoon, Lorelai was at the spa when she finally heard from Rory. When they hung up, Lorelai walked over to the diner for coffee, and sat at a table with Luke to fill him in.

"He picked her up at the house - which he liked, by the way," Lorelai said. "She gave him a quick tour, and then they went out for lunch. She said he asked a lot of questions about _her_... how the pregnancy was going, how her writing's going, if she needed anything for the house, for the baby, et cetera, et cetera."

Luke was nodding along. "Okay, sounds civil so far."

"And he went over his game plan for the next few weeks, which is pretty much what we already knew," Lorelai said. "That he's trying to get a job in New York or the near vicinity, he's gonna get an apartment, get settled, be nearby to help her, to see the baby, et cetera, et cetera."

"You're really into that phrase today," Luke commented.

Lorelai playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "Anyway, moving on... here's the twist of the afternoon, something Rory just found out, too... his parents know about the pregnancy."

Luke's eyes widened with surprise. "Huh... we were iffy on that one."

"Yeah. I had this weird vision of him just leaving London and never telling them about the baby because they'd go insane and try to kidnap it and turn it into a toddler newspaper mogul, and so instead he'd go start this new secret life and stay hidden from them," Lorelai explained.

"Very realistic scenario," Luke said with an eyeroll. "You get that from Lifetime?"

"Well, they're probably basing those stories on something real, right? You know, inspired by the headlines."

"Sure. So, what did his parents say?" he asked, steering her back to the conversation at hand.

"Well, when he first called off the engagement and told them he was moving, they were furious, said he was ruining the plan, throwing his future away, et cetera, et cetera."

"There it is again."

"And they were frustrated because he didn't give them an explanation," Lorelai continued. "But then, not too long ago, they found out through his sister about the pregnancy. And when they realized that there was an actual legitimate adult reason motivating him to make all these changes... they pulled a very un-Huntzberger-like move and actually cut him some slack."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Well, after they tried to convince him to stay in London and just move Rory and the baby out there."

Luke's eyes widened. "What?! They can't do that, she can't leave! She just moved into that house, she's finally settled somewhere!"

Lorelai quickly put her hand over his mouth. "Luke, shhh, calm down." His outburst was loud, and some customers were looking over at them. "Uh, nothing to see here, folks," she said to them, then turned back to Luke and pulled her hand away. "Hon, it's fine, she's not going anywhere. Logan told them right away that wasn't an option."

Luke exhaled a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. Sorry."

"So, they backed off and cut him some slack and are letting him figure things out," Lorelai said. "His dad's still not exactly _happy_ with him, but it seems like he's maybe not _as_ angry."

"Okay. And... did Rory talk to him about the relationship topic?" Luke hesitantly asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, she did... she decided they needed to get everything out in the open right up front."

"And?"

"And he said that he understood where she was coming from and that it was probably a good idea to go into it as friends."

"Wow."

"Yeah, I know," Lorelai said, shaking her head in disbelief. "She said they had a nice conversation about everything and that she feels good about it."

"Wow... good. That's great." Luke took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "So, it seems like I'm not gonna have to chat with him in a dark alley after all."

Lorelai smiled. "Seems that way. You can do whatever you want with _me_ in a dark alley, though."

Luke smirked. "Good to know."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few nights later, Luke was in the bathroom getting ready for bed, and when he walked out, Lorelai was sitting up in bed typing frantically on her phone.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Uh, emailing Michel a list of things we need to one hundred percent not forget to do tomorrow," Lorelai replied distractedly.

Luke climbed into bed beside her and waited until he heard the familiar swish of her email being sent. "Okay, you're done," Luke said, reaching for her phone.

Lorelai quickly moved it out of his reach. "No, wait, one more thing... I just have to remind Sookie to double check the food order and then I promise I'm done."

"Lorelai, it's ten-thirty," Luke pointed out. "She's probably in bed and she's not gonna check the food order tonight, so you can just wait to tell her tomorrow."

"But I might _forget_ to tell her tomorrow, so it's just easier to get it out of the way now while I'm remembering it," Lorelai said, and started composing a text to Sookie.

Luke moved closer to her and successfully grabbed the phone.

"Hey!" Lorelai exclaimed, reaching for the phone. "Luke, come on, I need that."

Luke held it up out of her reach. "You _need_ to go to bed," he said firmly.

"I'm not gonna be able to sleep if I'm worried about remembering to tell Sookie something tomorrow that I can very easily just text her about right now," Lorelai pointed out. "Come on, just let me send the text and then I'll be a good girl and go to bed." She frowned and batted her eyelashes at him. "Please?"

Luke sighed and reluctantly handed her back the phone. "Fine."

"Thank you." Lorelai composed the text and sent it, and then handed Luke back the phone. "There, see, all done. Don't be mad at me."

Luke took the phone and placed it on his nightstand. "I'm not mad at all, I'm just worried that you're gonna wear yourself out soon. You're working your ass off every single day, then you come home and your brain's still going a mile a minute right up until bedtime and then you don't sleep well. I want you to give your mind a little break before bed so you can actually get a good night's sleep and be ready for the next day of working your ass off."

"Things will calm down after the grand opening. It's just a mad rush now to make sure everything gets done in time."

"I know, I just want to help you avoid getting hospitalized before you actually get to the grand opening."

"I appreciate that."

Lorelai's phone beeped as a text message came through, and she looked over at Luke hopefully. "It might be important!" Lorelai insisted.

"I bet you a hundred dollars it's Sookie replying to your text to say something like o _kay_. Or worse yet, just a _K_."

"Okay, fine, I'll take that bet," Lorelai said, and beckoned for him to hand her the phone. "Let's check it and see who won."

Luke retrieved the phone and handed it to her. She read the new text, then promptly handed the phone back to him. "Well?" he prompted her.

"It was Sookie saying okay," she admitted. "I owe you a hundred dollars from our joint money."

Luke smirked proudly. "Told you."

"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai muttered, and then reached over to turn out her light. Luke returned the phone to the nightstand, turned out his light, and they both settled into bed.

After a minute or so, Lorelai exhaled a sigh into the dark room. "I can't turn my mind off. I just thought of three more things to add to that email I sent Michel."

"You'll think of them again tomorrow," Luke murmured. "Try to get some sleep."

"I can't, I really need to write them down before I forget, I'm sorry," Lorelai said, and she pushed the covers off of her. "Stay in bed, I'll go into the bathroom so the phone glare doesn't bother you."

Luke lifted his head from his pillow to watch her walk around the bed to his nightstand and pick up her phone. As she started to walk to the bathroom, he said, "Get back here. Get in bed."

"But I need to -"

"With the phone," he added. "Get in bed with the phone. You don't need to hide out in the bathroom."

"Are you sure?"

Luke patted her side of the bed. "Come here."

Lorelai got back into bed and went into her email to send a follow up to Michel. While she was doing that, Luke got out from under the covers and started moving over to her side of the bed.

Lorelai was oblivious, her phone in front of her face and her thumbs working the keyboard. He moved down by her feet, and he straddled her ankles with his knees. It wasn't until he leaned forward and hooked his fingers into the waistband of her pajama shorts that Lorelai finally looked up from her phone.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you turn your mind off," he replied, starting to tug at her shorts.

Lorelai smirked. "By... turning my body _on?_ "

"Yup. Get comfortable."

Lorelai knew she wasn't going to be falling asleep any time soon, so she was game. She moved her body down from her sitting position until her head was resting against the pillow. She watched as Luke pulled her shorts and underwear off and tossed them aside.

He spread her legs apart and lowered his mouth to her right knee. He pressed a trail of kisses up to the top of her thigh, and then moved over to her left leg to do the same.

Lorelai eyed the phone still in her hand... she wanted to finish her message, but was worried that he would stop if she went back to her phone. "Luke, I have to finish this email," she said hesitantly.

Luke didn't look up. "Go ahead," he murmured in between kisses to her inner thigh. As he pressed one tantalizingly close to her sex, Lorelai tilted her head back with a soft moan.

"Oh, God," she muttered. She brought her phone back in front of her face and hurriedly finished her message.

After she had sent the email, she dropped the phone on the bed beside her and her hands instantly went to the back of his head. Luke's mouth was brushing gently against her skin, covering her thighs with soft kisses. He slipped a hand up under her pajama top to caress her upper half while his mouth focused on the lower.

He wanted to distract her, to relax her, to take his time building her up before making her explode. He was deliberate in his actions, careful not to over-stimulate her and rush her toward her climax. He spent the first few minutes focusing his attention _around_ where she most wanted him to focus, while occasionally giving her little doses of direct contact.

When he would finally give some attention directly to her sex, her hips would buck in response and she'd moan at the surge of arousal that rushed through her body. Sometimes his lips would brush against her folds, or his tongue would trace gently along her slit, or, if he was feeling generous, he would swirl the tip of his tongue over her clit. But those actions were intentionally brief - he would quickly move away and return to kissing her thighs.

She would groan disappointedly when he moved away, but she really didn't mind the teasing. No man had ever been so attentive to her needs as he was. She loved the time he put into building up her arousal, he knew exactly how to drive her crazy with anticipation.

He continued his teasing ministrations for a few minutes before he finally let his mouth focus on her sex. She was groaning with pleasure as he licked and sucked on her lips, and let his tongue explore her wetness.

When he finally unleashed his talented mouth on her clit, her whimpers could've been heard in the town square. Her hands reached back behind her head to grab onto the headboard. "Oh, God, Luke," she moaned, then breathlessly huffed out, "Jesus, that feels good."

For a few minutes, he alternated delicate licking with light suction, holding off her climax for as long as he could. Eventually, his tongue began moving rapidly against her clit until her entire body was writhing. She moaned his name repeatedly as she came until it was just a faint whisper leaving her lips among her gasps for breath.

She released her hands from the headboard and rested them on his head. He was back to tenderly kissing her thighs as her body calmed down from her climax.

When he lifted his head to look at her, she was smiling tiredly at him. "You sure do know how to make a girl forget about work."

He moved up over her body and pressed his lips to hers. One arm wrapped around his neck as she kissed him, the other reached down to feel his hardness through his boxers. "Take these off," she murmured against his lips.

Luke pulled back to look at her. "You sure? We don't have to... I can tell you're exhausted."

"Well, whose fault is that?" she countered with a smirk, and then tugged at his boxers. "I want it. Take 'em off... now."

Her demand send a jolt of arousal through his body, and he quickly pushed his boxers down. She took hold of his hardness and brought it to her opening, and let out a long sigh as his length disappeared inside of her.

He began thrusting into her and she matched his thrusts, moaning with pleasure as their bodies moved together in a perfect rhythm. Her moans and his grunts filled the room until he finished with a loud, satisfied groan. He rested his head against her shoulder as he panted to catch his breath.

Lorelai ran her hands up and down his back. "Thanks for enacting that very effective and satisfying method of distraction."

Luke lifted his head from her shoulder and kissed her before smiling against her lips. "Any time."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Officially Married - Chapter 12**

. . . . .

. . . . .

The following week, Luke and Lorelai were sitting at the back of a town meeting at Miss Patty's. Lorelai was half-paying attention to the meeting while proofreading a draft of the spa brochure that Michel had just emailed to her.

"As you all know by the signs that have gone up around town, the Independence Day festival is in less than two weeks," Taylor said from the podium at the front of the room. "I reviewed the list of volunteers from last year, and since almost all of the booths are the same, I thought we could just reuse that list. I'm going to run through it and remind everyone of their assigned roles."

Taylor rifled through his papers to find the list. "Okay. Gypsy and Babette, you ran the apple pie eating contest last year. Can you handle that again?"

"You got it," Gypsy replied.

"No problem," Babette replied.

"And Bootsy, you'll be manning the souvenir booth, and Kirk will be in charge of blowing up the helium balloons for the booth," Taylor said.

"Got it, Taylor," Kirk said.

"Sure thing," Bootsy replied.

"Lorelai, you're going to be manning the sand art booth again," Taylor said, and he glanced into the crowd for her confirmation. When she didn't respond, he called, "Lorelai?"

Luke nudged Lorelai, who finally looked up from her phone. "Huh? What's happening?"

Taylor huffed out an agitated sigh. "If you were paying attention, you'd know that we're going over the volunteers for the Independence Day festival. You're going to be manning the sand art booth again."

Lorelai grimaced a little. "Oh, uh, I don't think I can volunteer this year, Taylor."

There was a gasp from the crowd, and some people were looking at her while others were looking at Taylor waiting for his reaction.

"Excuse me?" Taylor said.

"Yeah, sorry... that's the grand opening weekend for the spa," she explained. "I'm probably going to be tied up there all weekend."

"You can't take a break for a few hours?" Taylor asked.

"Can't you just get someone else to do it, Taylor?" Luke asked.

"Are you offering to take over your wife's volunteer duties while she sits this festival out, Luke?" Taylor asked.

"No, I'm not," Luke replied. "There are 30 other people in this room who can do the job, Taylor... just pick another one."

"Well, no surprise with that response," Taylor said. "Seems like that anti-town attitude of yours must be finally rubbing off on Lorelai."

"Hey, come on," Lorelai said, frowning at him. "You know I'm not anti-town."

"She just has a lot going on, Taylor," Babette said. "It's not like she doesn't _want_ to help out, she's just busy."

"Lorelai's gonna be bringing a lot more tourists to this town with that fancy spa of hers, you should be thanking her," Gypsy pointed out.

"Plus... come on, Taylor... they just lost their dog," Miss Patty said. "Cut 'em some slack."

A sad murmur ran through the crowd. Lorelai glanced sadly at Luke, who comfortingly put his arm around her.

Donald raised his hand. "Look, Taylor, I can handle the sand art booth, it's no problem." He turned toward Lorelai and added, "And I will happily hand the job back to Lorelai next year if she wants it back."

Lorelai smiled appreciatively at him and the others who had spoken up for her. "Thank you, guys."

"Fine. Donald will be running the sand art booth this year," Taylor announced, and then looked pointedly at Lorelai. "Because some people are too busy to participate."

"Taylor, I swear to God," Luke muttered, shaking his head angrily. "Leave her alone."

Lorelai put her hand on his knee and softly said, "It's okay, it's just Taylor being Taylor. It doesn't bother me."

"I know, but still," Luke said. "I don't like it."

Taylor resumed going over the list of volunteers for the festival, and Lorelai unlocked her phone to continue what she had been doing.

"Everything okay?" Luke whispered to her, nodding toward her phone.

"Yeah," she replied. "This draft has to get to the printer by tomorrow morning or it won't be here by the opening. As soon as I email it back to Michel, that's it for the night, I promise. No phone when we're out to dinner, okay? Just you and me and no technology."

"It's okay," he told her. "But wouldn't it be easier for you to concentrate if we weren't in the middle of a town meeting?"

"Yeah, but I don't wanna miss anything," Lorelai said. "I still wanna be here in case something important comes up."

"Okay, well, you take that outside and finish up where it's quieter," he said, nodding toward her phone. "I'll stay in here and listen, and I'll fill you in over dinner."

Lorelai smiled. "Really? You'll stay and be my meeting proxy?"

"Yup."

Lorelai leaned in to kiss him. "Thank you," she whispered, and then stood up and snuck out the back door.

After the meeting, they drove to a Mexican restaurant in Woodbury for dinner. Once they had ordered and were settled in with drinks and a platter of chips and salsa, Lorelai said, "Okay, fill me in on today."

Luke shared a few highlights of his day, and finished with, "And I got a visit from a certain young lady who wants me to take her out."

"Ooh, your unsubtle attempt at evoking intrigue and a tinge of jealousy is working," Lorelai said, smiling. "Do tell."

Luke smirked. "Doula is finishing up school next week and wanted to know if I can take her camping on Friday night to celebrate."

Lorelai smiled. "Aw, that's so cute. She loves her camping trips with Uncle Luke."

"She does."

"Did you say yes?" Lorelai asked, and then quickly added, "Of course you did, you can't say no to her... especially in person."

"I said yes," Luke confirmed. "Just Friday night, though... we'll be back Saturday. You don't mind, right?"

Lorelai smiled. "No, that'll be fun for you guys."

Luke hesitated a moment before pointing out, "You'll be all alone in the house... for the first time since..."

Lorelai's smile faded. "Oh, I hadn't thought of that." She frowned thinking about how Paul Anka would keep her company when Luke was away. She took a deep breath and then shrugged. "It was gonna happen eventually. I'll be fine. Sad... but fine."

"Okay." Luke nodded toward her. "Your turn."

Lorelai took a long sip of her margarita before going through a list of things she did at the inn and the spa that day.

When she was done, Luke shook his head in disbelief. "I think you've accomplished more today than I've done all week."

"It doesn't feel like my to-do list is getting any shorter though," Lorelai said. "It's like a neverending list that won't ever get done."

"It'll all get done," he assured her.

"You promise?" she asked him.

"Yup," Luke replied without hesitation. "I have no doubt. I wouldn't even waste your time worrying about it, that's how sure I am."

Lorelai smiled appreciatively at him. "I hope you're right."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Um, let's see," Lorelai said, and tapped her finger on her chin as she pondered for a moment. "Let me whine to you when I'm overwhelmed, let me seduce you when I need to de-stress, and keep me well-nourished and caffeinated. You up for that?"

"Yeah, I think I can handle those difficult tasks," he confirmed with a smirk.

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few days later, Lorelai was inspecting the rooms at the spa and making a list of any repairs, touch-ups, and adjustments that she wanted in each room. While she was upstairs in one of the suites, her cell phone rang, and she answered quickly upon seeing that it was Rory calling.

"Rory? You okay?" Lorelai greeted her. With her due date only 2 weeks away, Lorelai was always on high alert when she called.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rory replied. "What are you doing?"

"I'm still at the spa," Lorelai replied.

"Still at the spa? It's almost nine."

Lorelai gasped and double checked the clock on her phone. "Oh, shoot, I didn't even realize. I told Luke I'd try to be home by eight. I've been getting home so late every night this week."

"Did you eat dinner?"

"No, but I had a late lunch," Lorelai replied. She sat down in the armchair in the corner of the room and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm exhausted. I feel like I've been going nonstop for weeks."

"It's understandable, there's so much to get done. It was like this when you opened the inn, too."

"Yeah, it was," Lorelai said. "What's going on with you? We didn't talk yesterday, what'd I miss?"

"Uh, well, nothing much yesterday," Rory replied, and then there was a brief pause before she said, "But today I heard back from the editor about the chapters I'd sent him."

Lorelai was unable to tell by Rory's neutral voice if it was a good or bad response. "And?"

"And he really likes what he saw," Rory replied. "He thinks it could really resonate with readers... ones who can relate to the type of relationship we have, and also to those who wish they had it with their own mom. He even said his company _might_ be interested in publishing it, but he would need to see the final complete draft before deciding for sure."

Lorelai gasped. "Really?! Honey, that's amazing!"

"Yeah, it is, it's really exciting," Rory agreed. "I honestly wasn't expecting that, I just thought he would give me some feedback and then send me on my way." She paused a moment and added, "But..."

"Uh oh. But what?"

"Well, he made some suggestions on how to improve the structure and the flow of it," Rory replied, and then hesitantly added, "And one of his comments was that he thinks it could benefit from going into a little more detail about your relationship with Grandma."

Lorelai took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Ah. Rory..."

"I know, I know... you don't want me to focus on that or focus too much on you," Rory quickly added. "But it would be from _my_ perspective... I'd talk about what I saw between you and your mom, and how it was different from what you and I have. You know, to show a contrast."

Lorelai was quiet for a few moments, thinking it over.

"Mom?" Rory prompted her. "Say something, please."

Lorelai sighed softly. "Look, when it comes to me and Grandma, I just need to know that you're going to be extremely conscious of what you're writing and of how she might interpret it. Because the wedge between us is pretty small right now and I'd like it to stay that way."

"I will, trust me," Rory promised. "I've been very conscious of that the whole time. Maybe _too_ conscious of it... maybe that's why he said it needs more of it."

"Okay, well... I trust you," Lorelai told her. "Do what you have to do."

"Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome. What else is going on?"

"Um, a lot of baby stuff has been coming in," Rory replied. "The nursery has come together a lot. I'm not gonna tell you the theme I decided on, I want you to see it in person. And I bought that special gentle detergent so I can start washing stuff from the baby shower. You said to wash everything first, right?"

"Yes, everything... clothes, sheets, blankets, towels," Lorelai replied. "You need help building any of the furniture? I can ask Luke to come over."

"No, it's okay. I've been paying extra for the delivery guys to put stuff together, it makes it so much easier. I prepared Logan for kind of a large credit card bill this month." Rory paused and added, "Oh, and speaking of which... he got a job."

"No way! One of the New York jobs, I assume?"

"Yup," Rory replied. "And he had already started shipping some of his stuff to his family's apartment in New York because he was gonna come back with or without a job offer. But now that he knows he'll be working there, he can start looking for an apartment of his own."

"Cool," Lorelai replied. "Things are moving along."

"Yeah, they definitely are," Rory agreed. "Okay, I'm gonna let you go. Can you please do me a favor and go home soon?"

"I will leave in a few minutes, I swear," Lorelai told her. "And I wanna come over and see the nursery soon, maybe this weekend."

"Yes, if you can pull yourself away from the spa for a little while, come visit."

"Okay, sounds good."

"Bye, Mom."

"Bye." Lorelai hung up the phone, finished examining the suite she was in, and then headed home.

Lorelai walked in the front door and heard the television on in the living room. Seeing that Luke was sitting on the couch, she said, "Hey." She dropped her purse and keys on the hall table. When he didn't respond or turn to greet her, she assumed he was mad at her. "I know I'm late, I'm really sorry, I lost track of time," she said as she headed into the living room.

She found Luke asleep on the couch. She gently pulled the remote from his grasp and turned off the tv, then sat down next to him. She gently rubbed his arm, whispering, "Hon... wake up."

Luke stirred a little and then opened his eyes. "Oh, hey." He sat up straighter. "Did you just get home? What time is it?"

"9:30," she replied, then frowned apologetically. "I'm sorry I'm late, I lost track of time."

Luke put his hand on her knee and started rubbing it. "It's okay. How was your day?"

Lorelai leaned back against the couch cushion with a sigh. "Busy." She ran through the list of things she'd done at the spa, and filled him in on her chat with Rory. "What about you? Anything exciting?"

Luke glanced up at the ceiling, trying to remember his day. "Uh, not really. Kirk came in babbling about how there's a solar eclipse coming this summer and he's going to be selling some sort of special glasses to look at it... asked if we wanted to order any."

"Ooh, yeah, I want a pair," Lorelai said excitedly. "Did you say yes?"

"No."

Lorelai smirked. "Can you get me a pair, please?"

"I will."

"Actually, no, wait, I'll call him... I should get a bunch of them for the inn and the spa in case guests need them."

"Good idea," he said with a nod. "Let's see, what else... I put in a new bread order... cleaned out the grease traps... had yet another kid ask if I served dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets."

Lorelai gasped. "I keep telling you to get them, they would be a big hit!"

Luke smirked. "I know you do." He thought for a moment, then his eyes widened a little. "Oh, little bit of gossip for you..."

"Ooh, tell, tell."

"You know those parents of those out-of-work kids that aren't really kids anymore? What are they called?"

"The thirty-something gang," Lorelai supplied.

"Yeah, the parents were in today doing their group thing and there was an argument because apparently one of the girls has been secretly dating two different guys in that group."

Lorelai gasped. "No! Which girl? And which guys?"

"I wasn't quite sure, I don't know which parents go with which kids," Luke replied. "But I'll let you know if I find out more."

"Thank you."

Luke exhaled a sigh. "That's pretty much it. Came home and made dinner... I put a plate for you in the fridge. Then I guess I fell asleep waiting for you."

Lorelai frowned. "I'm sorry, I really meant to try to get home earlier tonight and then I got caught up in things. Are you mad?"

Luke shook his head. "I'm not mad."

"I'm gonna be less busy soon, I promise," she told him.

"I know."

"I just need you to hang in there for a few more weeks," Lorelai pleaded, squeezing his arm. "We'll open next weekend and then hopefully things will be all stabilized in a few weeks and running smoothly and I won't be working so much."

"Lorelai, listen to me, I'm not mad," he repeated calmly but firmly. "I know this is a hectic time. I know you're working like crazy to make sure everything's perfect. I know when you come home at night and you've got your face buried in your phone, it's because you have a hundred things going on and are trying to keep on top of 'em. I get it. It's fine. It's okay."

Lorelai's face softened with relief. "Really?"

"Really." He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Am I seeing you less than usual? Yes. Do I miss you? Yeah, I do. Am I mad, frustrated or upset with you for working your ass off to make your dream come true? Not one bit. I'm proud of you, that's what I am."

Lorelai's lips curved into a smile as she cocked her head to side. "You're pretty amazing, you know that?"

Luke shrugged nonchalantly. "You have enough going on without having to worry about if I'm mad about you working late or whatever. Just focus on the spa and let me know what I can do to help make things less stressful."

"Like... a foot rub?" Lorelai suggested hopefully.

Luke smiled and patted his leg. "Put 'em up."

Lorelai kicked off her heels, and turned her body on the couch to place her feet on Luke's lap. "Thank you," she said as he started to rub them.

They were both quiet for a moment, and he glanced over at her. She was staring toward the fireplace, lost in thought, and when she finally looked over at him, he asked, "What's on your mind?"

"I'm nervous," she admitted.

"That's normal," he told her.

"But it's my second go around," Lorelai replied. "I'm not new to running an inn, I know what I'm doing, Michel knows what he's doing, we've got Sookie back, a great staff all ready to go... I shouldn't be nervous, should I?"

"Maybe it's not so much nerves as it is excitement," Luke suggested. "Maybe you're feeling anxious but in an excited way."

"Yeah, maybe."

Luke affectionately squeezed her calf. "It's gonna be fine. The Dragonfly Inn is a success, and the spa will be, too. It's gonna be a lot of work running them both at the same time, but it's nothing you can't handle."

Luke's unwavering confidence in her never failed to make her feel better when she was stressed. Lorelai smiled and caressed his scruffy cheek with her hand. "Thanks for always being my personal cheerleader when I need one."

Luke smiled. "Ditto _._ "

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Saturday morning, Lorelai headed over to Rory's house armed with takeout containers from the diner. They chatted as they dined on a spread of breakfast foods, and when they were done eating, Rory gave Lorelai a tour of the house to show her some of the new things she'd gotten since her last visit.

She saved the nursery for last. Rory pushed open the door and Lorelai stepped into the room, gasping as her eyes fell on the travel-themed décor. "Ooh, this is so beautiful," Lorelai gushed. "And really cool... I want this room for myself!"

On the cream-colored walls hung framed pictures of skylines and landmarks from around the world. A sepia-colored throw rug in the center of the room was in the design of a world map. A toy box in the corner was shaped like two vintage suitcases stacked on top of each other.

Rory walked over to the toy box and opened it up. "Look what I found online," she said as she pulled out a stuffed globe. "A hug-a-world!"

Lorelai grinned. "Just like you had!"

Rory smiled and hugged it to her chest. "Yeah. I was excited that they still make them."

Lorelai's cell phone started to ring. "Ooh, hold on... it might be about the spa." She pulled the phone from her pocket and checked the caller, then smiled. "Ah, much better than a work call," she said before answering the phone. "Hello, husband."

"Hey," Luke replied. "Just wanted to let you know I got home. I brought you the leftover s'mores ingredients."

"Ooh, yay, thank you," Lorelai said. "How was camping? Did you guys have fun?"

"Yeah, it was good. She was talking about that time you came with us a few years ago and how much fun it was. I said maybe if we ask you nicely, you'll come out with us one time this summer."

Lorelai smiled. "I'll think about it."

"Mmhmm," he said doubtfully. "How was your night? Everything was okay?"

"Yeah, it was fine," Lorelai confirmed. "I'm at Rory's now, just visiting."

"Hi, Luke," Rory called from the background.

"Oh, sorry, I'll let you go," Luke told Lorelai. "Tell her hi for me. I'm heading to the diner, we'll catch up later."

"Okay, see you later," Lorelai said. "Bye."

"Bye."

Lorelai hung up the phone and said to Rory, "He says hi. Now, where were we?"

"You were admiring the theme of the nursery," Rory said, gesturing around the room.

"Oh, right, yes." Lorelai put her hands on her hips and turned around in a complete circle, taking it all in. "This is perfect, I love it. It'll work for a boy or a girl, plus it's good for any age," she said. "You don't have to redecorate it in a few years like you would if you'd gone with a Mother Goose theme or something babyish."

"Exactly," Rory said.

"I like the furniture," Lorelai said. The crib matched the dresser, rocking chair, and a small bookcase that was already half-filled with books.

"Thanks. Apparently the crib turns into a regular bed when they can sleep in one of those." Rory eyed it curiously and added, "Not quite sure how. I hope I saved the directions on how to do that."

Lorelai smiled. "We'll figure it out. And by we, I mean Luke."

Lorelai walked over and opened the closet. She ran her hand along the line of tiny baby clothes hanging up. "Aw, these are so little and cute." She glanced down at the stacks of diapers at the bottom of the closet, then turned around to face Rory. "So, quick question... and answer it honestly, no judgment here."

"Okay."

"Do you know how to put a diaper on a baby?"

Rory smiled. "Well, I _didn't_... but you'd be surprised at how many instructional videos there are on YouTube showing you how to do it."

"Really?" Lorelai asked with a laugh. "So, you're well-versed in it now?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I practiced on one of the teddy bears I got at the shower. I think I have it down."

"Okay, good."

"Quick question for _you_ now," Rory said, and she exhaled a sigh. "So, I think I'm gonna try to nurse the baby, but... if I don't like it or it's painful or for whatever reason, I want to stop, does that make me an evil mother? Because the internet has some strong opinions about that."

Lorelai shook her head. "Of course not. You make whatever choice you want to make and don't worry about anyone else."

"Okay."

Lorelai closed the closet door, then stepped up to Rory and rubbed her arms. "You're ready, kid. You're prepared."

"I hope so," Rory replied. "Because there's only twelve more days until my due date."

Lorelai shook her head in amazement. "I can't believe that, only twelve more days. How did that happen?"

Rory shrugged. "I have no idea."

Lorelai put her arm around Rory and started leading her out of the room. "Okay, well, I have to leave soon to go to the spa, so we have twenty minutes to try to figure out where the last 9 months went."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The following Friday was the grand opening of the Dragonfly Spa. The suites were all booked up for the weekend, and some guests would be checking in on Friday and some on Saturday. All of the spa services and gym equipment were also available for use by guests staying at the original inn, and a shuttle was offered to transport guests between the two properties. Early on Friday morning, there was a meeting with the entire spa staff, and then they waited for guests to arrive.

Lorelai and Michel were having coffee in the kitchen while Sookie moved around them organizing things, and Lorelai couldn't help but smile. "This is just like old times," she said.

"Yeah, back before someone abandoned us," Michel muttered before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Hey, don't ruin the moment," Lorelai scolded him.

"You were about to go explore other opportunities, too, Michel," Sookie said, pointing accusingly at him. "So don't judge _me_ for it."

"Okay, guys, enough," Lorelai said, holding up her hands. "It's over, we're all here, we're growing our successful business... let's focus on the future and not the past, okay?"

"Fine," Michel said.

"Agreed," Sookie said.

"Good. Thank you." Lorelai glanced around the kitchen. "Everything's good in here, right, Sookie? Nothing we have to follow up with Tom about?"

"Everything's good," Sookie confirmed. "It's perfect."

"Okay, good. Michel, have you checked in with Molly at the inn to make sure everything is going smoothly over there?"

"Yes, I spoke to her this morning, everything's fine," Michel replied, then reluctantly added, "Despite the name, she actually seems pretty capable of running things."

Lorelai smiled. "Good. Took you a few months to admit it, but you finally got there. Let's go review the reservations for today."

Michel followed Lorelai to the reservation desk in the front room, and Lorelai lowered her voice. "Can you please stop nitpicking Sookie every chance you get? You're like a child."

"But she - "

" _You_ were going to leave, too, Michel," Lorelai reminded him. "And I was upset and sad, but I understood and I wouldn't have held it against _you_ , so stop holding it against _her_. She's our friend and she's back and you will be civil to her. Understood?"

Michel huffed out a sigh. "Yes, fine, I will be civil."

"Thank you." She gestured to the computer on the desk. "So, what are the spa services booked for today?"

Michel pulled up the day's schedule. "There is a massage booked at 1:30, and there are a couple of manicures scheduled for later on."

"Okay, let's keep close tabs on those, make sure everything goes smoothly," Lorelai said.

"That's the plan," Michel said. "And remember, the Connecticut Post is coming tomorrow to take a tour and interview us for a write up on the spa."

Lorelai nodded. "Got it. And there might be journalists covering the festival this weekend, so we should try to attract some attention over here."

"What do you suggest? A couple of tacky latex balloons out front? One of those inflatable giant tube men waving around?"

"Well, we could strategically place some of our spa fliers out in the town square, the ones that mention that it's our grand opening weekend, and see if it catches the eye of any possible journalists," Lorelai said.

Michel considered the idea for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I'll send someone out to hang a few of them up."

"Thank you. I'm gonna go take another walkthrough."

"Yes, because the three you've taken already today haven't been enough," Michel replied.

Lorelai waved him off. "Shush. I'll be right back."

. . . . .

. . . . .

That night, Lorelai left the spa and walked toward the diner, stopping to chat with some of the volunteers setting up booths and decorating the town square for the festival starting the next day.

When she finally made her way into the diner, Luke smiled and walked out from behind the counter to greet her. "Hey, how'd the first day go?" he asked.

"Day one was a success," Lorelai happily confirmed.

Luke's smile widened and he hugged her. "Good. I knew it would be." As he pulled back, he gestured toward the kitchen. "You wanna eat here? Or we can grab something on the way home."

"Here's fine," she replied, and walked over to sit on a stool as he went behind the counter. "Are you the only one working?"

"Yeah, I sent 'em all home, it got kind of quiet," Luke replied, then gestured to the couple behind her. "When they're done, I'm gonna close up."

"Okay." She set her purse on the stool beside her and exhaled a sigh. "I have this weird mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration going through my body."

Luke was smiling as he set a cup of coffee in front of her. "Yeah, I can imagine." He gestured toward the storage room. "I'll be right back."

"Okay." Lorelai picked up her coffee and sipped it as Luke headed toward the storage room.

When he returned a few seconds later, he was carrying a bouquet of flowers that he held out toward her. "For you... a little congratulations," he said.

Lorelai gasped and then cocked her head to the side, a wide grin on her face. "You got me flowers?"

"It's a big day."

"Hon, I love them," she gushed. She took the flowers from him and smelled them, then leaned forward over the counter. "Kiss."

Luke leaned toward her and they shared a kiss.

Lorelai pulled back with a smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He gestured toward the kitchen. "Let me get your food started and then I wanna hear about your day. What do you feel like?"

"Ummm..." Lorelai set the flowers down, then pondered for a few moments. "Ooh, can you make that chicken sandwich thing with the bacon and the cheese and the yummy sauce?"

"Yup. Fries?"

"Yes, please." Lorelai picked up her cup and stood up. "I'll come with you and chat in there."

Luke walked into the kitchen and Lorelai followed him. He started gathering ingredients and Lorelai leaned against the wall, sipping her coffee. When he was finally stationed at the stove and ready to start cooking, he looked over at her. "Okay, tell me."

"Well, a few people checked into the suites today, and everything went smoothly there," Lorelai said. "The food was a huge hit, as expected."

"No surprise," Luke said.

"There were two massages booked today, and no complaints that I heard," Lorelai continued. "A mother and daughter staying at the main inn came over on the shuttle for manicures, and they were very satisfied. I saw a couple of people using the gym equipment, so I think the only things not used today were the sauna and hot tub."

"Maybe they'll be more popular on days when it's not 90 degrees outside," Luke suggested.

"Maybe. But overall, everything went well," Lorelai said. "And I went over to the inn for a little while to check on things, and everything was fine there, too."

"You have a great staff over there, they know what they're doing," Luke said with a nod.

"Yeah, that place is like a well-oiled machine now." Lorelai took a sip of coffee. "Oh, and we're doing that interview with the Post tomorrow."

"Oh, right, that'll be some good publicity."

"I don't wanna brag or anything, but so far, your wife is nailing this 'running two locations' thing."

Luke smiled at her. "I suspected she had it in her."

"Some might argue that one day isn't a large enough sample period to draw that conclusion on, but I'm gonna go with it," Lorelai said with a shrug, then she smiled at him. "How was your day?"

"Not bad. A lot of people were ordering milkshakes and ice cream with their meals."

"Best way to cool off on a hot day is a high-calorie frozen dessert," Lorelai commented.

"Apparently," Luke replied. "And when Caesar took out the trash earlier today, he saw a couple of younger kids being suspicious in the back alley, so he went over to investigate."

Lorelai gasped. "Smoking? Sex? Drugs? Graffiti?"

"This is Stars Hollow," he reminded her.

"Oh, right. Were they feeding an abandoned cat? Nursing a sick bird back to health? Going though your garbage to make sure you sorted out all the recyclables?"

"They were looking for ants to put in their ant farm," Luke replied.

"Wow, ant farms are still a thing?" Lorelai asked incredulously. "I would've figured there's an ant farm app by now."

"There probably is," Luke said, then pondered for a moment. "I guess that's it... nothing else going on today. Did you hear from Rory at all?"

"Not since this morning, she texted me good luck for the opening," Lorelai said. "I'll go text her and see how she's doing." She walked out of the kitchen and sat down at the counter, and retrieved her cell phone from her purse.

As she was texting Rory, Luke came out from the kitchen with her plate of food and set it in front of her, then went to check on the one remaining couple in the dining area. They were ready to pay, and Luke went over to the cash register to get their change.

When they had left, he locked the door behind them and started cleaning up for the night, and Lorelai started eating her food while waiting for Rory to text her back.

Luke began flipping chairs on top of the tables so he could sweep up. "How's the sandwich?"

"Really good," she said, turning around to look at him behind her. "Did you eat?"

"I had a salad earlier," Luke replied. "I'll grab something at home."

Lorelai's phone beeped and she turned around to check the new message. "It's Rory," she told Luke. "She's good, she's been tired today. She's gonna come to the festival tomorrow, so she'll stop in and see us."

Luke walked over to her. "Should she be going to the festival right before she's due?" he asked, concerned. "Are they allowed to just walk around and do whatever?"

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, she's not on bed rest or anything, so she can go out and do anything she'd normally do. I mean, within reason... she shouldn't go climb a mountain or anything."

"A favorite Rory Gilmore pastime," Luke said as he sat down on the stool beside her. "And Logan's still flying in on Sunday, right?"

"As far as I know," Lorelai replied. "He wanted to be here before her due date."

"Cutting it close," Luke said.

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "He had a lot of stuff to finalize before he made the transcontinental move. And his new job starts next week already."

Luke tapped his fingers on his leg for a few seconds. "So, I guess her gut was right... about him really wanting to be involved."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm glad. And I'm glad she's letting him." He glanced down at the floor and was quiet for a moment.

Lorelai noticed him lost in thought, and she rested her hand on his arm. "Luke..."

Luke lifted his gaze to meet hers, and shook his head slightly. "It would've been really hard for me if she didn't tell him about the baby," he admitted. "Really hard."

Lorelai nodded understandingly. "I know. It would've been hard for _me_ just knowing how hard it was for _you_." She squeezed his arm. "I'm glad she made the right decision."

"Me, too."

"You probably helped influence that," Lorelai added. "I mean, she knows what you went through, that was in the back of her mind. It was good that you gave her some insight."

"Yeah, it worked out." He stood up and gently rubbed her back. "Okay, you eat, I'm gonna finish cleaning up, then we can head home."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next day, the rest of the weekend guests checked in and the Dragonfly Spa suites were filled to capacity. Guests were also shuttling over from the main inn to check out the facilities and try some of the food samples that Sookie was offering for the grand opening weekend.

By the early afternoon, most of the guests had gone into the town square to check out the Independence Day festival. A reporter from the Post arrived for a tour of the new site, and as they were about to head into the office to finish up their interview, Lorelai saw Rory walk into the spa.

Lorelai excused herself for a moment and quickly walked over to greet Rory with a hug. "Hey, kid. I'm finishing up with the Post, but Sookie's in the kitchen if you wanna go say hi. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Rory nodded. "Okay."

Lorelai and Michel disappeared into the office with the reporter, and Rory went to sit down in the lobby.

Twenty minutes later, they emerged from the office, and after Lorelai walked the reporter out, she found Rory sitting in the front lobby staring down at her cell phone on her lap.

"Hey, sorry about that," Lorelai said as she sat down in the armchair beside Rory. "How are you doing?"

Rory gritted her teeth. "Well..."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

"I think I might be... in labor?" Rory's voice went up as if she was asking a question, because she herself was not a hundred percent sure. "I'm not sure, it's just a possibility."

Lorelai gasped. "What do you mean? Did your water break?"

"No, but I think I might have started contractions on my way here," Rory replied. "And in all of the books I read, it said that when you think they're starting, you should time them, so I'm timing them." She gestured to the phone on her lap that was displaying a timer.

Lorelai recognized the look on her daughter's face, and knew that Rory was trying really hard not to freak out. Lorelai stayed calm and gently rubbed Rory's arm. "Okay, good. So, what are they clocking in at?"

"Like sixteen minutes apart," Rory said. "And I also read that there's no point in going to the hospital until they're much closer, like 5 or 6 minutes apart."

"Well, someone was doing a lot of reading on the subject," Lorelai said with a smile.

"Yeah. I wanted to be prepared."

"That's my girl. Okay, here's what we're gonna do," Lorelai said calmly. "We'll keep you nice and comfortable for awhile and keep timing those contractions, and then we'll head over to the hospital when they get closer."

Rory nodded. "Okay."

"Where do you wanna wait it out? You wanna go back to your house? Ours? Anywhere you want."

Rory thought for a moment. "I guess I should go home and make sure everything's ready... for when I bring the baby home."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Good idea."

Rory shook her head slightly. "Oh, my God... I'm going to come home with a _baby_. I'm going to leave the house without one, and then come back home with one." She took a few deep breaths before nervously adding, "I thought I had a few more days, you know?"

Lorelai put her hands on Rory's shoulders and squeezed them. "I know it seems scary, but it's gonna be okay. Try not to stress out. You're ready, you're prepared, you've had a healthy pregnancy, your doctor is amazing, everything's gonna be fine."

Rory nodded quickly. "Right, I know." She took a few more deep breaths. "I'm okay, I'm good."

"Speaking of which, you should call your doctor," Lorelai said.

Rory nodded. "I will. And Logan, and Grandma."

"Good, yes... make a few calls, double check your hospital bag, make sure everything's all set," Lorelai said, and then in an attempt to distract her for a few minutes, suggested, "Hey, how about a quick tour? Just the first floor, I won't make you walk upstairs."

"Okay."

Lorelai walked her through the different rooms on the first floor, stopping to chat with some guests and to check in with the staff. They saved the kitchen for last, and they filled Sookie in on the news.

Sookie squealed excitedly. "Oh, my God! I can't believe you're in labor right now. By the end of the day, your baby could be here!"

"Yeah, maybe," Rory replied with a nod. "Though I've heard that this stage alone could last for quite awhile, especially for first time mothers, so it's more likely that it would arrive tomorrow, or it could even go into Monday."

Lorelai smiled. "Someone's been reading up a lot on the topic of labor and delivery and such."

Sookie giggled. "It's good to be prepared."

"Okay, I guess we should get you home," Lorelai said, patting Rory's back. "You ready?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah."

Sookie gave Rory a hug. "Good luck, sweetie. I'll be thinking of you."

"Thanks, Sookie," Rory said.

As Lorelai and Rory walked toward the front door, Lorelai said, "Let me just grab my purse from the office and let Michel know what's going on."

"You know, I feel bad that you're leaving the spa on your opening weekend," Rory said. "You should be here, this is an important weekend for you."

"I'm not going to leave my daughter all alone while she's in labor," Lorelai replied. "Michel can handle things here just fine."

"Well, there's nothing really urgent going on right now," Rory pointed out. "There might not be anything happening for a long time. You can stay here and work until things start to move along."

"But Rory - "

"Because when I _do_ have to go to the hospital, I'm gonna want you there with me the whole time," Rory interrupted. "I know that sounds selfish, but I'm gonna need you there, Mom... please?"

Lorelai's face softened and she comfortingly rubbed Rory's arms. "Of course I'll be there."

"So, I'll feel less guilty about you being there with me _then_ if I know you're at least able to spend some time here _now_ ," Rory explained. "It'll make me feel better to know I didn't drag you away from your entire opening weekend, okay?"

Lorelai understood her reasoning and reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Okay, fine... I'll stay here for a few hours. But I really think you should have someone there to keep you company... maybe see if Lane can come over for a little while?"

Rory nodded. "I will."

"Are you okay to drive yourself home?" Lorelai asked, concerned. "Maybe I should drive you home and then come back here."

Rory waved it off. "No, it's okay. I'm not in pain, and it's only a five-minute drive."

"I want you to text me when you get home, and then every hour with an update." Lorelai glanced at the time on her phone. "I'm gonna leave here at six to come to your house. Luke and I will bring over some dinner, and then I'm not leaving your side until that baby comes out. Okay?"

"Okay." Rory leaned in to hug her. "Thanks, Mom."

"Bye, honey," Lorelai said, then pulled back and wagged a finger at her. "Text when you get home and then every hour, I mean it."

Rory smiled. "I promise."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**


	13. Chapter 13

**Officially Married - Chapter 13**

. . . . .

After Rory left the spa, Lorelai called Luke to fill him in on the situation, and that evening, the two of them went over to Rory's house. They rang the doorbell, and when Rory answered the door herself, Lorelai gasped. "Why is no one here with you to answer the door?"

Rory pulled the door open wider to let them in. "Lane was here for a few hours, and then I sent her home because I knew you were coming soon."

"I'm gonna follow up with her and make sure that story checks out," Lorelai said before she kissed Rory on the cheek. "Hi."

"Hey, Rory," Luke said. "How're you feeling?"

"Okay, but the contractions are getting a little stronger," she replied.

"How far apart are they?" Lorelai asked.

"Like ten minutes," Rory replied.

"Okay, we're getting there," Lorelai said. "You hungry?"

"Starved."

They followed her to the kitchen, and Luke started unloading the bag of food he'd been carrying. "Okay, your mom said you should eat light foods, so we have soup, crackers, fruit salad, buttered noodles, applesauce, and scrambled eggs," Luke said. "I know it doesn't seem like they really go together, but I tried to bring an assortment of stuff."

Rory smiled. "Thank you, I appreciate it."

"And a couple of sandwiches for us," Luke added as he pulled them out of the bag.

They sat down at the table to eat, and Rory filled them in on her afternoon. She'd called her doctor's office to let them know she'd started contractions. She talked to Emily, who said she'd come in from Nantucket the next day. And she texted Logan, who had a flight booked to New York the next afternoon, but would see if he could get out on an earlier one.

"He could still get here before the baby," Lorelai said. "You could be in labor for days, who knows?"

"Gee, that sounds great," Rory muttered.

Lorelai smirked. "Sorry. You already knew that from your books, anyway."

"You're mocking, but yeah, I did," Rory said.

"Do you have baby names picked out?" Luke asked.

"I have a couple in mind, but I'm not committed to any specific one yet," Rory replied. "I wanna look at the baby and see what name pops into my head first." She then grimaced a little as a contraction started up and leaned forward over the table. "Oh, boy."

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths while Lorelai and Luke both stared at her, concerned.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked.

Lorelai frowned sympathetically and reached for Rory's hand. "Hang in there..."

"Is there anything we can do?" Luke asked. "Should we move you to the couch?"

Rory opened her eyes and shook her head. "No, it's okay. It actually feels worse on the couch. Sitting up is better." She exhaled a sigh. "It's okay now." She glanced down at the clock on her phone. "Still ten minutes apart."

"Okay. Was the pain worse or about the same?" Lorelai asked.

"About the same." Rory glanced from Luke to Lorelai. "It's normal to be terrified, right?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. It is."

"If you are, you're hiding it well," Luke commented. "You look calm and collected."

"Thank you," Rory replied, giving him a small smile. "I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep that terror under control."

"It'll be fine, don't think about it too much," Lorelai said, keeping her tone upbeat and positive. "We'll finish eating, we'll watch a movie, we'll just play it by ear. Think of it as just a regular night of us hanging out that may or may not include a little childbirth."

Rory smiled at her. "I'll try."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Luke stayed for a few hours and then he headed home, leaving Lorelai to spend the night with Rory. It was almost 5 in the morning when the timing and intensity of the contractions told them it was time to finally head to the hospital. Rory was taken to a room in the maternity wing and the hospital staff helped her get settled in.

Once they were finally alone in the room, Lorelai stepped up to the bed. "Well, I gotta tell you, I have never in my life seen anyone pull off a hospital gown as well as you do."

Rory smiled and glanced down at it. "Doesn't make me look pale?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Definitely not." She rubbed Rory's arm. "How are you doing? Hanging in there?"

Rory nodded. "I'm okay... I'm just a little anxious."

"What can I get you? What do you need? Anything you want."

"My phone," Rory replied. "I wanna text Logan. I think he's in the air right now, but I wanna let him know where we are so he knows when he lands."

Lorelai retrieved Rory's phone from her bag, and while she was texting Logan, Lorelai called Luke to give him an update.

Luke arrived at the hospital within the hour, and shortly after, labor started progressing. Lorelai stayed with Rory for the delivery, and Luke went to wait in a lounge area down the hall. He could see the door to her room from his seat, and stared at it anxiously for what felt like hours.

When it finally opened, he jumped up from his chair. Some of the hospital staff came out first, and then he finally saw Lorelai walk out. She glanced around for Luke, and when she spotted him, she smiled and rushed toward him.

Luke immediately noticed that her eyes were red from crying. "How is she? Is everything okay?" he asked.

Lorelai nodded. "She's fine, she did so good, the baby's healthy and adorable and perfect." She shook her head in amazement. "God, it was so incredible. She was squeezing my hand the whole time and I just kept encouraging her... you know, 'you're doing great, a couple more pushes, you're almost done.' And she was so strong and just kept pushing and we were both crying, and it was the most amazing thing in the world when that baby came out and we heard it cry for the first time."

Luke was smiling as he listened to her. "So, what is it, a boy or girl?"

Lorelai smiled. "I'll let Rory tell you that." She glanced back toward the door to the room. "In a few minutes, she's nursing the baby now. That part was a little bit of a struggle, the kid was stubborn at first about latching."

Luke narrowed his eyes with confusion. "Latching? Oh, like... for the milk?"

"Yeah. Well, it's kind of just a pre-milk now, it won't be milk for a few days... so said the friendly lactation nurse in there," Lorelai replied. "Anyway, I wanted to sneak out to tell you that everything's good, but I'm gonna go back in there in case Rory needs me. I'll come get you when she's ready for visitors, okay?"

Luke nodded. "Okay."

As Lorelai headed back to Rory's room, Luke sat back down in the lounge and started aimlessly flipping through a magazine.

When Lorelai finally came back out to get him, she rubbed her hands together excitedly. "You ready to meet your grandchild?"

Luke stood up. "I'm ready."

Lorelai led him over to the room and gently pushed open the door. As they walked in, Luke saw Rory lying in the bed with the tiny newborn sleeping on her chest. Luke smiled at the sight and he approached the bed slowly, not wanting to wake the baby.

"Hey, Luke," Rory said softly.

"Congratulations," he whispered.

"Thanks," Rory replied, and she placed her hand on the baby's back. "This is your granddaughter."

Luke's smile widened as he glanced from Rory to Lorelai. "A girl," he said. "It's a girl."

Lorelai grinned. "It's a girl," she confirmed with a nod.

"Wow. That's... wow." Luke shook his head slightly as he smiled down at the sleeping infant. "What's her name?"

Rory ran her hand gently over the back of the baby's head, then smiled at Luke. "Well, technically... it's Lorelai."

Luke smirked. "Really?" He glanced over at Lorelai and cocked his head to the side.

"Don't look at me," Lorelai said, shaking her head. "It was all her doing... I had no influence at all."

"She really didn't," Rory confirmed. "When I looked at the baby's face for the first time, it just hit me that it was something I really wanted to do. It felt right to make her Lorelai Gilmore number four."

"Oh, you decided to stick with Gilmore, huh?" Luke asked.

"Yeah. And Logan knows that, I discussed it with him a few weeks ago," Rory replied. "He also liked all of the first names I'd suggested to him, so he was okay with whichever one I landed on."

"And she landed on Lorelai Grace Gilmore," Lorelai said. "Isn't that beautiful?"

"Yeah, I like that," Luke said, nodding affirmatively.

"We're gonna call her Grace," Rory said, and she ran her finger over the baby's cheek. "This... is Grace."

"Hi, Grace," Luke said softly, then glanced over at Lorelai. "How many times have you said 'Say goodnight, Gracie' already?"

Lorelai smiled and held up one finger. "Just once, but get used to hearing it."

"Do you wanna hold her, Luke?" Rory asked.

"Oh, maybe later, when she's up. I don't wanna wake her." Luke nodded toward Rory. "How are you doing? You feeling okay?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay... tired."

"Your mom said you were pretty amazing," Luke said.

Rory smiled at Lorelai. "Well, she was an excellent coach."

Lorelai shrugged. "Add birthing coach to the list of my many talents," she said, and then she rubbed Rory's arm. "You know what, you should try to nap a little while she's sleeping... that's a tip from Parenting 101."

"Oh, yeah, good idea," Rory replied with a nod. "I _am_ pretty wiped."

"Can't imagine why," Lorelai joked. "Why don't you rest, I'll go make a couple of calls to spread the news, and maybe we can get Luke to bring us some lunch in a little while in case the hospital food isn't up to our standards. Sound good?"

Rory nodded. "Sounds good."

Lorelai and Luke walked out of the room and down the hall a little until Lorelai stopped and turned to face him. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" she asked, smiling.

Luke smiled and nodded. "She is, she's really cute."

"Are you okay with bringing back some food later on?" she asked. "If not, I can run out and grab something."

"No, it's okay, I can bring it," he replied. "But are you sure you're allowed to bring outside food in?"

"Yes, they said as long as we don't leave the garbage in the room," Lorelai replied. "We have to throw it away in the lounge trash can."

"Okay."

"So, we're gonna need protein, fruits, vegetables... maybe some pasta. You can just throw together an assortment of stuff."

"Got it."

"Thank you." Lorelai took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Okay, let's see... I have to call Michel and see how things are going at the spa. I'll have him tell Sookie the baby news, and then I'll call my mother, and Logan already knows to come here when he lands, so that's all set... what else? What am I missing?"

Luke put his hands on her shoulders. "How are _you_ doing? Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Not really," Lorelai admitted. "Neither of us did. I might try to nap with them after my calls."

"I'll bring you some coffee when I come back with the food," Luke offered.

"Bless you." Lorelai leaned in to kiss him. "I'll see you in a little while."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few hours later, Luke returned to the hospital and he knocked gently on the door to Rory's room.

"Come in," Rory's voice called.

Luke walked into the room, and he stopped abruptly when he saw Lorelai standing near the bed holding the baby. He smiled at the look of pure happiness on Lorelai's face as she stared down at the little girl in her arms. She was glowing. It was immediately apparent how in love she was with her new granddaughter.

Lorelai glanced over at him and smiled. "Hey, hon."

"Hey," Luke replied, and held up a coffee cup and a bag from the diner. "Coffee and lunch."

"Good timing, we're starving," Lorelai said. "Wash your hands, you can hold her while we eat."

Luke set the cup and bag down on Rory's bedside table and went to wash his hands. When he returned from the bathroom, he sat down in the chair and Lorelai handed the baby to him. He cradled her in his arms and smiled down at her adoringly. Suddenly, _he_ was the one glowing... it was immediately apparent how in love _he_ was with his new granddaughter.

"Oh, my God... that is so cute," Lorelai gushed at Luke holding the baby. She took a few pictures of them with her phone before she sat down to eat her lunch.

"She's so light," Luke commented. "It's like holding air."

"We've discovered that Princess Grace has quite a set of lungs on her," Lorelai said. "And does not enjoy when her diaper is wet."

Luke smiled. "I hear that's a common pet peeve among the newborn set."

When they finished lunch, Lorelai gathered up the garbage and went to throw it out in the trash can in the lounge area. When she returned, she poked her head into the room and announced, "So... I found someone wandering the hallway that I thought might wanna meet the baby."

Rory and Luke looked toward the door. "Okay," Rory replied.

Lorelai walked into the room, and following behind her was Logan carrying a small basket of flowers.

Rory's eyes widened and she smiled. "Logan... hi."

"Hey... I got here as soon as I could." Logan walked over to the bed, kissed Rory on the cheek, and offered her the flowers. "These are for you."

"Thank you," Rory said, and she smelled them before she set the basket on the bedside table.

"How are you doing? Everything went okay?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, it went fine, I'm good... we're both good." Rory gestured to the baby nestled in Luke's arms. "Um... that's... our daughter."

Logan raised an eyebrow, and a small smile formed on his lips. "It's a girl?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah. You can hold her if you want."

"Oh, yeah, here, sorry," Luke said, standing up with the baby.

"Wait, hands," Lorelai said, gesturing to the bathroom. "Wash your hands first. You have plane germs all over you."

Logan washed his hands in the bathroom, and when he walked out, Luke gently handed the baby to him.

Logan stared down at the baby, then smiled at Rory. "She looks like you, Ace."

Lorelai suddenly gasped. "Oh, wait, is that why you picked Grace? Because of Ace?"

Rory smiled and shook her head. "No. Logan asked me the same thing when I told him it was on my list of names. I just like the name, I think it's pretty."

"So, you decided on Grace?" Logan asked.

"Lorelai Grace," Rory replied. "But we're gonna call her Grace."

Logan nodded. "It's nice." He looked down at the baby in his arms and said, "Hi, Grace."

Lorelai reached for Luke's hand and started pulling him toward the door. "So, uh, we'll let you guys catch up. Maybe we'll go check out the gift shop. You need anything?"

"Something chocolate, please," Rory replied. "Thanks, Mom."

"I'm gonna head back to the diner," Luke told Rory. "But I'll be back later."

"Okay. Thanks for lunch," Rory said.

"You're welcome," Luke said, and then he nodded toward Logan. "Logan, good to see you... and congratulations."

"Thanks, Luke," Logan replied. "Good to see you, too."

Lorelai and Luke walked out into the hallway and started heading toward the gift shop.

"So, what happened in the hall when you ran into him?" Luke asked her.

"I saw him at the nurse's station asking where Rory's room was, so I went over there," Lorelai replied. "He asked me how Rory was and if he could see her, and then I brought him to the room."

"That's it?"

"That's it," Lorelai confirmed.

"It wasn't awkward or anything?"

Lorelai shrugged. "No, it was fine."

"Good."

They walked around the gift shop for a few minutes, and then Luke left to head to the diner. Lorelai took her time walking back to the room, trying to give them some time alone with the baby. When she finally made it back there, she pushed open the door a little and asked, "Can I come in?"

"Yes, come in," Rory replied.

Lorelai entered the room and walked over to Rory in the bed. "Assorted candy selection for my favorite daughter," she said as she handed her the bag from the gift shop.

"Thank you," Rory replied, and started digging through the bag.

Lorelai walked over to Logan sitting with the baby. "How's she doing?"

"Her eyes are open and she's staring at me the way her mom stares at a cup of coffee," Logan replied. "Does that mean she's hungry?"

Lorelai glanced at the clock. "Yeah, she might be ready to eat soon."

Rory glanced at the bathroom door. "I think I'm gonna go to the bathroom before she starts to get fussy." She pushed off her blanket and swung her legs to the side of the bed, and Lorelai walked over to help Rory to the bathroom.

Once Rory was settled inside, Lorelai shut the door for her and walked back over to the bed.

As she started tidying up Rory's bedside table, Logan lowered his voice and asked, "Lorelai, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Lorelai turned around to face him with a curious look. "Uh, sure." She perched herself against the edge of the bed and folded her arms across her chest.

"I know you're probably not too happy with this situation," he said. "Or with me, or how Rory and I were... well, about what was going on in London."

"That's totally your business, yours and hers."

"We obviously didn't expect this to happen," he said, glancing down at Grace.

"Life is full of surprises," Lorelai said with a shrug. "Sometimes you wind up in situations you weren't ready for."

"Yeah, I've noticed that seems to be a running theme of life."

"How you react to those situations is the most important part," Lorelai continued. "Everyone gets some twists and turns to deal with, but some people handle them better than others."

"That's what I wanted to make sure you knew," Logan said, glancing back at the bathroom door to make sure it was still closed. "That I'm trying to handle this the right way, that I'm going to be there for her... for _them_."

"Well, I think that's good, but why do you want to make sure _I_ know?" Lorelai asked. "Rory's the one who needs to know."

"She already knows, I've told her," Logan replied. "But I wanted to make sure you knew, too, because I know we've had a little bit of a rocky past and I was kind of hoping we could start fresh, you and me."

"The past is the past... I don't have any outstanding beef with you," Lorelai assured him. "And if you keep your word to my daughter and granddaughter, I will remain beef-free... except on Taco Tuesday."

"Okay, good. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Logan glanced down at the baby for a moment, then back at Lorelai. "She's sort of smacking her lips. Is that normal?"

Lorelai nodded. "She's getting hungry. She'll start whimpering soon."

Rory returned from the bathroom and got back into bed, and Logan handed the baby to her to prepare to nurse. Rory asked Logan for a few minutes to talk to Lorelai alone, and Logan stepped out of the room to give them some privacy.

When he had left, Lorelai sat on the edge of Rory's bed. "What's up? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rory replied. "Logan said he would stay with me here at the hospital for awhile, so I didn't know if you wanted to run to the spa or to the inn or go be a productive member of society for a few hours instead of being my slave."

Lorelai smiled. "I don't mind being your slave, but I'll give you guys some space if you want me to."

Rory shrugged. "No, I don't want you to, it's fine either way. But I feel bad that you've been away from work all day, so if you did want to run out and check on things, I'll have someone here to help me."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay. Yeah, maybe I will."

"Okay. But can you still come back and spend the night with me?" she asked hopefully.

Lorelai smiled and squeezed Rory's hand. "The triple Lorelais are having a slumber party tonight, for sure."

Rory smiled with relief. "Thank you. I'll feel better being here overnight if you're here with me."

"No problem." Lorelai glanced down at Grace and ran her finger gently over the back of her soft brown hair. "So, how about I run to work for a few hours, and then Luke and I will come back tonight with dinner, and then later, we'll kick the guys out and I'll stay the night. Okay?"

Rory nodded. "Sounds good."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Lorelai went home to shower and change before she headed to the spa for a few hours. She'd called Luke to let him know the plan for the evening, and around six, they headed to the hospital with pizza for dinner.

When they arrived at the room, there was a nurse checking on Rory and Grace, and Logan was standing at the back of the room trying to stay out of the way.

Lorelai walked over to the bed. "Everything looking good?"

"Yup, all good here," the nurse said, removing a blood pressure cuff from Rory's arm. "I'll be back in a few hours, but hit the call button if you need anything."

"Okay, thanks," Rory said.

Lorelai washed her hands in the bathroom and then scooped the baby out of the bassinet beside the bed. "How's the little girl doing?" she cooed to the baby. "I haven't seen you in so long."

Rory smirked. "Did you have withdrawal pains during those few hours you were separated from her?"

"A little bit," Lorelai admitted, and pressed a soft kiss to the baby's forehead.

Rory noticed the pizza box in Luke's hands. "Oh, good, dinner... thank you."

Luke set the pizza on the table. "I'll grab some paper plates from the lounge."

"I'll get them," Logan offered. "I was gonna go get a drink from the vending machine anyway. Anyone else want something?"

"I'm good," Rory replied.

"I'll take a bottled water," Lorelai said.

"Yeah, I'll take one, too," Luke added.

As Luke started to pull out his wallet for some money, Logan waved him off. "I got it... you guys brought the pizza, the least I can do is beverages. I'll be right back." He walked out of the room.

"Thanks for the food," Rory said appreciatively. "And just so you know... Grandma called a little while ago to say that she had just gotten to Hartford from Nantucket, and would be heading to the hospital soon."

Lorelai gasped softly and looked down at the baby. "You're going to meet Emily, honey. Now you get to join the rest of us by living in constant fear that something you do will disappoint her and she'll hold it against you for the rest of your life."

"Come on, she's not that bad anymore," Rory said. "She's kind of... softened."

"A little, but not completely," Lorelai replied. "She's like a stick of butter you put on the counter to soften before you bake, but even after sitting out to soften for 70 years, she's _still_ not quite ready for baking yet... some of her is still frozen."

"Wait, am I supposed to freeze my butter?" Rory asked Luke.

"You can if you don't think you're gonna use it before it goes bad," Luke replied.

"And then I'd just let it thaw when I need it?" Rory asked.

"Yup. You can let it sit in the fridge or at room temperature, or defrost it in the microwave if you're in a hurry."

"Huh. Okay, good to know."

"Okay, Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, focus please," Lorelai said to them.

"You started the butter analogy," Rory pointed out.

"Yes, but we have to hurry and teach Grace a signal she can use for when she's ready for us to throw her great-grandmother out of the room," Lorelai said.

Rory rolled her eyes. "She'll be fine. You can put her back in the bassinet while we eat so you don't get pizza on her."

Lorelai frowned. "Fine."

As she was reluctantly setting the baby back down in the bassinet, Logan returned with plates and drinks. The four of them were finishing up with dinner when Emily arrived with several gift bags in her hands.

Emily instantly made a face. "It smells like a pizzeria in here," she remarked. "This can't be good for the baby."

"Actually, the smells of pizza contain nutrients that promote the development of dopamine, which makes the baby happier," Lorelai remarked, chewing the bite of food in her mouth.

Luke glanced over at her. "Is that true?"

Lorelai shrugged. "No idea, but it sounded believable."

"Hi, Grandma," Rory said, smiling at her from the bed. "Thanks for coming."

Emily put down the bags she was carrying and walked over to the bed. "You look wonderful," she said as she gently hugged Rory. As she pulled back, she glanced into the bassinet. "And this must be my great-granddaughter."

"Yes, this is Lorelai Grace," Rory replied. "But we'll call her Grace."

"She's just darling," Emily said, smiling at Rory. "Can I pick her up?"

"Of course," Rory replied. "Go ahead."

"Are your hands clean?" Lorelai asked.

Emily eyed the pizza crust in Lorelai's hand. "Cleaner than yours, I would assume."

Lorelai gestured toward the bathroom. "Well, just in case they're not..."

"Mom is like the baby's germ bodyguard," Rory replied. "Can never be too careful."

Emily nodded in agreement. "I understand. I'll be right back."

As Emily went to wash her hands, Lorelai leaned toward the bassinet and whispered, "This is your last chance... run, run!"

When Emily returned, she picked up the baby and rested her against her chest. "Oh, she's just precious," she gushed. "And so tiny."

"Thank God for that," Rory said. As Emily sat down in a chair with the baby, Rory asked, "So, Grandma, how's Nantucket?"

"Crawling with tourists this time of year," Emily replied.

"How have you been spending your time?" Rory asked.

"Well, I'm at the whaling museum a few times a week," Emily replied. "And I've been doing a lot of reading down by the water. I love the calming background noise of the waves."

"Yeah, I like that, too," Rory agreed.

"And Berta is always doing some sort of project with the kids that I'll help with," Emily said. "Last week we painted birdhouses shaped like lighthouses."

" _We_ painted?" Lorelai asked incredulously. " _You_ painted one, too?"

"Yes, they always encourage me to join in, so I just roll up my sleeves and get right in there," Emily said. "I had forgotten how relaxing painting can be. I might pull out my old easel and paint some seascapes."

"Wow. That's great, Mom," Lorelai said. "Sounds like things are going well on the island."

"Yes, they are," Emily agreed, and she glanced over at the boys standing quietly at the back of the room. "So, I see we've got a couple of chatty men here."

"We didn't wanna interrupt," Luke said.

"Hello, Emily, nice to see you," Logan said.

"Mmhmm," Emily replied with a slow nod of her head. "So, tell me, what's the situation here?"

"The situation?" Logan asked.

"Grandma, I told you on the phone," Rory said. "Logan moved from London to New York to be closer to the baby."

"Yes, I know that much," Emily said. "But how's he going to involve himself in this child's life? What's the plan?"

"Well, I'll be working and living in the city, so it's not that far for regular visits to see Grace, or if there's an emergency or something," Logan replied. "Plus, I'll spend some time with her on the weekends when I can. Rory already offered up her guest room."

Surprised, Lorelai exchanged a brief look with Luke before slowly turning her head toward Rory. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah, if he has the weekend free and wants to visit her, he can just stay over in the guest room," Rory said. "It makes sense, he can spend more time with her that way without having to travel back and forth."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Lorelai said slowly, sharing another look with Luke before she gestured to the pizza box. "Uh, maybe we should clear the food out of here if we're done eating." She started gathering up the paper plates.

"Right, I'll help you," Luke said, and he grabbed the empty pizza box before following Lorelai out into the hall.

They started walking toward the lounge, and Lorelai glanced at Luke. "That threw me for a second, I'm not sure why. I mean, it makes sense... he'll be working during the week, so of course he'll be visiting on the weekends a lot."

"Yeah, it makes sense," Luke replied. "And I think that's a good sign that he _wants_ to do that."

"Yeah, right, it is, it definitely is," Lorelai agreed. "But..."

"But what?" Luke asked.

They reached the lounge and threw the trash away, and then sat down on one of the couches. "But... I don't know... does this mean that weekends are off limits for us to visit?" Lorelai asked.

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. But he said _when he can_... so it might not be every weekend."

"Right, that's true." Lorelai shook her head and wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, what's wrong with me? I mean, he's the baby's father, he should get first dibs to see her when he wants to, and here I am, being all selfish about it." Lorelai took a deep breath and waved it off. "Sorry, slight overreaction, I see that now, just forget I even mentioned it. I'm evil."

Luke patted her knee. "You're not evil, you just overthought it... but it's not a big deal. We live so close, I'm sure we'll see her plenty of times during the week. Plus, maybe once in awhile when he _is_ visiting, we should invite them over for a weekend dinner or something. I mean, we're all Grace's family... it would be good for us to spend time together _as_ a family."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, that's true... that would be nice."

"It's gonna be fine," Luke assured her.

"Okay." She smiled at him. "You're good at talking me down off of my selfish ledges without making me feel like a horrible person."

"Well, I've been doing it a long time... I'm kind of an expert at this point."

Lorelai smirked and nudged her knee into his, and then she glanced toward the ground for a moment, lost in thought.

Luke put his hand on her back and slowly moved it up and down. "What else is on your mind?"

Lorelai turned to look at him, a small smile on her lips. "I really love that baby," she told him. "Like, I can't even describe how much."

Luke smiled. "I know, I can tell."

"And that's only after like nine hours," Lorelai said. "It's only been _nine hours_ since she came into the world, and I'm already in love with her and selfishly concerned about not seeing her on the weekends."

Luke didn't know where she was going with this. "Okay..."

"Now, imagine this," Lorelai continued, her tone getting a little more serious. "Imagine Rory and that baby were living with us for almost an entire year. We saw her every single day, she practically felt like our own daughter... and then one day out of nowhere, with no notice, Rory just disappeared with her, and then we hardly ever got to see her and the baby again."

Luke suddenly knew where she was going with it, and he just nodded and let her continue talking.

"That's what I did to my parents," Lorelai said, shaking her head disappointedly at herself. "I can't believe that I did something so cruel to them. I mean, I've apologized for it over the years, I've told them that I understand that it was probably really hard for them. But I don't think it was until today that I really, fully grasped how heartbroken they must have been... because just _thinking_ about something like that happening to _us_ is killing me. I would be devastated. I would be a mess." Lorelai exhaled a sigh. "I just... I feel really awful sometimes for doing that to them, but today in particular I'm feeling like a level 1000 of awfulness."

Luke nodded understandingly, his hand continuing to move up and down her back. "I know you can't change the fact that you did it, but it's good that you've told them that you feel bad about it," he said softly. "That you realize how it affected them."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, it's the least I could've done after the fact." She reached for his hand and brought it to rest in her lap, then began stroking his palm. "I know the chances of Rory doing that are pretty slim, but it's really sad even thinking about it."

"That's not gonna happen," Luke told her. "You did it because you felt like your parents were trying to control you and how you raised Rory. You had a reason to want to get away from them."

"Which means I have to not overdo it with Rory and Grace," Lorelai said. "I have to try really hard not to put in my two cents unless she asks for it."

"Yup."

Lorelai grimaced a little as she admitted, "That might be a little hard for me."

"You'll be fine," he assured her. "You're smart... you'll know when you're overstepping and you'll stop yourself. And if I'm there and I think you're close to crossing the line, _I'll_ stop you."

"Okay."

"I do have one other thought, though," Luke said. "You should talk to Rory about it directly."

"Directly?"

"Yeah, right up front. Because who knows, sometime down the road, you might not realize you're overstepping your boundaries, and she might not feel comfortable saying anything because she doesn't wanna hurt your feelings. So, if you bring it up now before it starts, it invites her to be more open with you about it if it does happen."

Lorelai nodded her agreement. "Yeah, that makes sense, good idea." She leaned in to kiss him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He nodded down the hall toward the room. "We should probably get back in there."

They stood up from the couch and headed back to the room. Rory was in the middle of opening the gifts Emily had brought, an assortment of baby clothes and toys. By eight o'clock, everyone had left except for Lorelai, who was spending the night.

Lorelai was curled up on the reclining chair with a blanket over her, talking to Rory as she nursed the baby. Taking Luke's suggestion, Lorelai told her she was going to try to refrain from giving her too much unwanted parenting advice. Rory told her that she would definitely be looking to her for guidance a lot, but promised to tell her if she felt like Lorelai was going overboard.

They talked about the plans for the next day. After being discharged from the hospital, Lorelai would take Rory and Grace to Rory's house and help them get settled. Logan, who had gone back to New York for the night, would meet them at Rory's house in the afternoon. He would stay there for the week and head back to New York the following weekend to start his new job on Monday.

"It all sounds so simple in theory," Rory said. "Like, sure, just go home with this new human and keep it alive. But then you get into the nitty-gritty details of what that takes every single day and it's like... how do people do this?"

Lorelai smiled. "It's something you're going to be good at because it's basically a lot of learning. Just like every other job in the world, nobody is born knowing exactly what to do to be a parent... it's learned. You'll learn why the baby cries a high-pitched cry as opposed to a long sobbing cry. You'll learn how much she can eat before she really needs to burp. You'll learn which foods she can't have until she reaches a certain age because they're choking hazards. There's a lot to learn, a lot to know, but you'll figure it all out."

Rory was quiet for a moment, staring down at the little girl on her chest. "Can I say something that makes me sound awful, but that I just need to say to someone?"

Lorelai snapped into serious mode and sat up a little in the chair. "Of course, honey."

"I never really pictured myself being a mother," Rory admitted. "I never really had that strong maternal urge."

"That's okay, not everyone does," Lorelai told her.

"When I realized I was pregnant, I still sort of felt like that," Rory continued, still staring down at Grace. "It took a little time for me to come around to the idea that I could do it... or that I _wanted_ to do it."

"That's totally normal," Lorelai assured her.

Rory lifted her head to look at Lorelai. "You're one of the reasons I did come around."

Lorelai smiled. "Me?"

"Yeah. I thought about how you went through the same thing, you know? A surprise pregnancy, something you weren't ready for and hadn't been thinking about _at all_ , but then you just rolled with it and figured out what to do and you were amazing at it."

"I did do pretty well," Lorelai agreed.

"And you had to do it surrounded by negativity all the time," Rory said. "Everyone was so upset that you were pregnant and making you feel like it was a huge mistake. You didn't have the extended support system that pregnant women should have." She glanced down at the baby for a few moments and then back at Lorelai. "Thanks for not making me feel like this was a mistake," she said sincerely, her lip quivering a little. "Even if it was an accident and unexpected and a surprise... you have _never_ made me feel like it was a mistake... you've never treated it as a negative thing, not once."

Lorelai swallowed hard with emotion and gave a little nod. "You're welcome," she said in practically a whisper.

"You and Luke have been so supportive," Rory said, shaking her head in disbelief. "From the very first minute you heard the news, you've been there for me and completely on board."

"Did you expect anything less?"

Rory shook her head. "No, I didn't, but I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it... that I won't ever forget it."

Lorelai smiled. "It's you and me to the end, kid... always. No matter how many ups and downs we have, no matter what life throws our way, you know I always have your back."

Rory nodded. "I know."

"Well, at least until I read the book," Lorelai added. "Then we'll see."

Rory smiled. "If it gets finished."

"You'll finish it," Lorelai said confidently. "Once you get over the initial adjustment of having the baby home and figure out your new routine, you'll find some time to write and it'll get finished."

"Yeah, I guess, eventually," Rory agreed, and then she glanced down at the baby, who had fallen asleep on her chest. "Okay, she's done. I'm gonna put her down and then we can try to get a few hours of sleep before she wakes us up."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next day went as they'd planned. They left the hospital and got settled in at Rory's house, and Lorelai was there for most of the day. After reminding Rory several times to call her if she needed anything at all, Lorelai left shortly after seven.

When she arrived home, Luke was in the kitchen finishing up his dinner, and she greeted him with a kiss before sitting down with him at the table.

"So, fill me in," he said.

"Well, they're home and settled in," Lorelai replied. "My mom came by for a little while. When she saw that Rory didn't have a bassinet at the house, just a crib, she went out to buy one. She said it would be easier for Rory to have the baby right next to her in the bedroom for the first few weeks instead of in the nursery."

"Did Rory want a bassinet?"

"She protested at first because she didn't want my mom to go out and spend money, but then realized it would probably be helpful to have one," Lorelai replied. "Logan got there in the afternoon, and we showed him how to change a diaper."

Luke smirked. "How'd that go?"

"He caught on quickly," Lorelai replied with a smile. "And around dinner time, he went on a food run and came back with a bunch of sandwiches and snacks for everyone."

"That was nice."

"Yeah. And the baby slept most of the day, and was pretty calm and content when she was awake, unless she was hungry or needed changing." Lorelai reached over and patted his arm. "How was your day?"

"It was good. I told a couple of people the news, so it spread around pretty quickly," Luke replied. "Everyone was asking how Rory and the baby were doing."

"Yeah, I got a couple of texts from people asking about them," Lorelai said.

"Other than that, not a lot going on. I spent some time in the storage room taking inventory. We were less busy today because the weekend festival tourists cleared out." Luke finished eating, and he stood up to clear his dishes. "Have you been getting updates from Michel?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, everything's going smoothly at both places. He said the massage therapist has been a big hit and he already wants me to think about hiring a second one."

"Already? It's only been 3 days."

"Yeah, I think it's too soon to make that decision. I'll wait and see if the demand continues."

"Good idea."

As Luke rinsed his dishes at the sink to put in the dishwasher, Lorelai took out her phone and smiled to herself as she started swiping through her pictures from the last two days.

Luke dried his hands on a dishtowel and walked over to her. "Baby pictures?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "You wanna see the ones from today?"

"Sure." Luke stood behind her and she showed him the pictures on her phone, and his eyes widened at how many there were. "Wow, were you trying to chronicle every minute of her day?"

Lorelai smiled up at him. "I couldn't help it, she's so photogenic." She let out a yawn and then rubbed her eyes. "Man, I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed as soon as I get the energy to walk upstairs."

Luke gave her a sympathetic frown. "Have you gotten any sleep in the past three days?"

"Not really," Lorelai replied. "Maybe a few hours total. Hopefully I can fall asleep fast and get a good ten or eleven hours tonight."

Luke smiled and rubbed her shoulder. "Well, you have a phone full of baby pictures and you're going to bed before 8 o'clock... I think you're officially in grandparent mode."

"Ugh. Can't we just pretend I'm Rory's sister and the baby can call me Aunt Lorelai?"

Luke smirked. "Sure. If you sell that idea to Rory, I'll go along with it."

Lorelai nodded. "I'll try." She glanced down at her phone and scrolled through a few more pictures. "Isn't she the most precious beautiful little being?"

"Yeah, she's pretty great," Luke agreed with a nod.

Lorelai stood up from the table, and with a nonchalant shrug, added, "I mean, would you honestly expect anything less from a Lorelai Gilmore?"

Luke put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. He pulled back with a smile. "No, definitely not."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**


	14. Chapter 14

**Officially Married - Chapter 14**

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next day was the 4th of July, and Lorelai spent a few hours at the inn before heading over to the spa. Some of the guests who had been in town for the weekend festival had checked out; others were staying through the annual 4th of July barbecue and fireworks display in the town square.

That afternoon, Lorelai and Michel were in their office at the spa discussing how the opening weekend had gone.

"Some of the guests were asking about a swimming pool," Michel said.

"There's no space to add a swimming pool," Lorelai said. "Unless you wanna throw one of those inflatable kiddie pools out back."

"I thought we could see if Taylor will let them use the Stars Hollow community pool," Michel said. "We'll offer to split the fee with him."

"We tried that a few years ago for the inn, remember? He didn't go for it." Lorelai shook her head a little. "I don't remember why... you would think he would've jumped at the chance to bring in a little more money there."

"It was something about how if he let in a bunch of extra people and it got too crowded, it might drive the regular pool members away," Michel replied.

"Oh, right."

"But that was before they added the children's pool area and the clubhouse," Michel pointed out. "Maybe since it's bigger now, he'll go for it."

Lorelai shrugged. "We haven't asked him in a long time, so it's worth a shot if you want to work up a proposal for him." She thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers and added, "You know what? Tell him that Woodbury is willing to let us use their community pool, so if he won't let the Dragonfly guests swim in the Hollow, we'll be forced to have them contribute to Woodbury's tax base."

Michel smiled proudly at her. "Deceptive and conniving, I love it." He made a note in his notebook, and then said, "I think we should send an email questionnaire to the guests who stayed this weekend to get their feedback on the rooms, the food, the spa services, the staff."

"Okay, good idea," Lorelai agreed. "But just send it once to each guest. If they don't respond, don't send it again... we don't want to come off like we're spamming them."

"Got it," Michel said with a nod, and made another note in his notebook. Lorelai picked up her phone to check for new messages, and Michel said, "You've been doing that every five minutes."

Lorelai quickly put the phone down. "Sorry, I just wanna make sure Rory hasn't tried to contact me. It's her first day alone with the baby... well, she's not _alone_ , exactly, she has the baby's father there, although I don't think _he_ has any experience with babies, and she certainly doesn't have any experience, so the probability that they might have questions about how to care for the baby is pretty high." She exhaled a deep breath and looked down at the phone again. "But I haven't heard from her since early this morning, so that means that everything's probably fine, right?"

"Or everything was _not_ fine, but they used that new thing called the internet to answer their questions instead of you," Michel suggested.

Lorelai frowned. "Why would they use the internet when they could get firsthand information from a live source?"

"I don't know, maybe because the live source talks too much," Michel muttered, glancing back down at his notebook.

Lorelai stood up from the desk. "On that note, are we done? I need coffee."

"Yes, I'll work on the swimming pool proposal and email it to you."

"Thank you, Michel," Lorelai said in a singsong voice, and she walked out of the office and headed to the kitchen. As she poured herself a cup of coffee, she said to Sookie, "I haven't heard from Rory since this morning. What if something's wrong?"

"Then you would've heard from her," Sookie replied. "No news is good news."

"Right, you're right," Lorelai said, nodding in agreement. "So, I shouldn't call her, right? I texted her this morning to see how the baby did overnight, and she replied, and we went back and forth a few times, but nothing since then. I've been trying not to bother her, I don't want her to think I'm worried about her mothering skills."

"Well, I think - "

"But is it rude if I _don't_ check in?" Lorelai continued, cutting her off. "Maybe _she_ doesn't wanna bother _me,_ and she might feel better if I'm the one who reaches out first."

"I think you should send her a text just casually asking how things are going," Sookie suggested. "That way she knows you're thinking about her and she can reply when she has time."

"And it won't seem like I'm doubting her abilities?"

"No, it'll seem like you're wondering how your grandchild is because you adore her and you miss her," Sookie said.

Lorelai smiled. "I do miss her."

"I know," Sookie replied with a smile. "So, find out how she's doing."

"Okay." Lorelai composed a quick text and sent it to Rory, and then put the phone on the counter. "What if she doesn't respond right away? What's the lead time before I follow up?"

"Give her until the end of the day," Sookie replied. "Things can be overwhelming with a new baby at home, so checking her phone might not be her top priority."

Lorelai took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Okay. I'm gonna just relax and not worry about it. No news is good news, no news is good -" She was interrupted by her cell phone going off, and she gasped. "Ooh!"

"Okay, maybe checking her phone _is_ a top priority," Sookie said.

Lorelai picked up the phone and checked the newest text. "Oh, it's not from her, it's from Kirk... Petal got away and he wants to know if we've seen her."

"Again?" Sookie asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "He's gotta get that pig under control."

"I guess I'll go check the yard," Lorelai said. "You guys are going to the barbecue tonight, right? It starts in a little while."

"Yeah, Jackson's gonna meet me there with the kids," Sookie replied. "You and Luke going?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go home to change and then grab him from the diner," she replied. "We'll see you over there."

"Okay," Sookie said. As Lorelai started walking out of the kitchen, Sookie called, "And remember, no news is good news!"

. . . . .

. . . . .

Lorelai went home to change, and was walking to the diner to meet Luke when she heard back from Rory. She stopped on the sidewalk in front of the diner to text her back, and when Luke saw her out there, he came outside to meet her.

"Hey," he greeted her.

Lorelai looked up briefly from her phone to smile at him. "Hi. One second, I just got a text from Rory... I'm gonna respond real quick."

"Okay." Luke put his hands in his pockets and stood beside her as Lorelai texted.

When she was finished, she slipped her phone into her pocket and smiled at him. "Sorry, proper greeting now," she said, and she stepped up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Hi."

"Hi. What was that about? Everything okay?"

Lorelai nodded as they started walking toward the town square. "I texted her a little while ago to see how things were going, and she just got back to me. She said that Grace is fine, everything's been going smoothly today. Logan ran to the store for burgers and corn on the cob and stuff so they could have their own little barbecue for dinner."

"Oh, good."

"I asked her to send me a picture of Grace to show people tonight."

"Because the 200 pictures you have on your phone from the past two days aren't enough?" Luke teased.

Lorelai stuck her tongue out at him. "She could look different today than she did yesterday," she pointed out. "And I want people to see the most updated version of her."

"Got it," Luke said, smiling at her. "How was work?"

"It was good," Lorelai replied. "I was at the inn for awhile, and then went over to the spa. Michel gave me a full overview of the weekend, and overall, both places ran pretty smoothly without me, so I guess I'm officially obsolete."

Luke smirked and shook his head. "You're not obsolete."

"Well, we'll see how they do when we're in Nantucket," Lorelai said. "Which reminds me, I completely forgot to talk to my mom yesterday about the dates. We wanna do a week at the end of July and then a week in August, right? That'll be easier than two straight weeks?"

"I think so," Luke said. "We were more than ready to come back home after a week in December. I think two straight weeks might be a little much."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Okay. I'll call her tomorrow and run that by her."

"Michel knows, right?" Luke asked. "That you'll be away for two weeks?"

"Yeah, and he grumbled about it a little, but then I gently reminded him that the only reason we were able to get the spa in the first place is because I promised my mother these Nantucket visits, and then he stopped whining."

"Good."

Lorelai's phone buzzed in her pocket. "Ooh, that might be the picture." She pulled out the phone and unlocked it, and grinned when she saw a new picture of Grace staring back at her. "Aw, look," she said as she showed it to Luke.

He smiled at the picture, eyed it for a minute, and then admitted, "You know, she _does_ look a little different."

Lorelai smiled and playfully poked him on the shoulder. "Told you!"

They'd reached the town square and continued discussing their days as they stood in line for food. They brought their plates to an empty picnic table, and Lorelai sat down while Luke went to get drinks.

When he returned, she had been joined at the table by Babette, Morey, Gypsy, and Donald. Luke sat down next to Lorelai with a beer for himself and some punch for her.

"So, what do you think of the baby, Luke?" Babette asked him. "We just saw the picture... she looks pretty cute, if you ask me."

"Yeah, she's definitely cute," Luke agreed.

"He's in love with her just as much as I am," Lorelai said, smiling at him. "You should see how his face lights up when he holds her."

"I've only held her once," Luke reminded her.

"And your face lit up like the Griswold's house on Christmas," Lorelai replied.

Luke smirked. "Yeah, well..."

"Aw, look at that," Gypsy said, smiling at him. "Someone looks smitten."

Luke took a sip of his beer, then declared, "Okay, enough about me. New topic, please."

"Fill us in on how the festival was this weekend," Lorelai said. "We missed it. Everything go okay at the sand art booth?"

"Donald was an excellent substitute for ya," Babette said. "Taylor had nothin' to complain about."

"Oh, good. Thanks for covering for me," Lorelai said to Donald. "I owe you one."

"Any time," Donald replied.

"Petal got loose at the festival," Babette said. "She ran right in front of Joe as he was carrying the second batch of funnel cake dough over to the booth and he dropped it all over the ground, so there was a funnel cake shortage."

"Petal's been escaping a lot lately," Lorelai remarked.

"Can you blame her?" Luke muttered.

"Poor thing's gonna get hurt one day," Lorelai said, frowning.

"Maybe there's a pig training class Kirk can enroll her in?" Gypsy suggested.

"Yeah, like the same type of obedience training that dogs go through," Morey said.

"I'll look online and see if there are any training classes in the area," Donald offered.

"A training class, really?" Luke asked, rolling his eyes. "Are we gonna have to chip in for that, too?"

"No, we'll just suggest it to him," Lorelai said. "Stinks about the funnel cake, though. What a waste."

When they finished eating, they mingled around the town square for awhile until it was almost time for the fireworks. They sat down on a bench and listened to the band in the gazebo for a few minutes as they waited for the fireworks to start.

Lorelai suddenly turned to look at him. "Hey, I was just thinking... what if we got Rory and the baby to come to Nantucket with us?"

"Isn't she too young to travel?" Luke asked. "And before you make a joke about how she's in her thirties, I mean the baby."

Lorelai smirked. "You know me so well."

"Yes, I do."

"She'd be a few weeks old by then," Lorelai said. "And it's just a car ride and a ferry ride. It would be fun, like a little family vacation. You know, so we can pretend that we're there by choice and weren't forcibly contracted into it in exchange for a loan."

Luke smiled. "Yeah, it would be fun. But talk to Rory about it first before mentioning it to your mom."

"Yeah, that was my plan. I'm gonna see if we can stop by later in the week to visit," Lorelai replied. "I just want to give them a few days to themselves first, let them get settled, have other people over."

"Yeah, good idea," he said, and then jokingly added, "Are you gonna be able to last a few days without a Grace fix?"

"Yes, by asking Rory to send me a new picture every few hours to curb the achy withdrawal pains."

Luke smiled. "Good plan."

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Thursday night, Lorelai and Luke headed over to Rory's house with a box of goodies from Weston's. Within minutes of walking in the door, Lorelai was cradling Grace in her arms and chatting with Rory on the couch.

Rory had texted earlier in the day to ask if Luke could fix a few things in the house when they came over. He'd brought his toolbox, and Logan had gone upstairs with him to show him the issues.

"So, who have you met this week?" Lorelai asked the baby, and then looked at Rory. "Lots of visitors?"

"Paris stopped by on Tuesday morning, and hinted more than once that she'd be able to get me a good price if I changed my mind about keeping her," Rory said. "And that it's not technically selling a baby, it's adopting out a baby for free while charging a large adoption paperwork processing fee."

"Of course."

"Lane stopped by on Wednesday morning, Grandma came by Wednesday night, and you're the first visitor today," Rory replied. "Grandma's going back to Nantucket on Saturday, so she's gonna stop by again tomorrow afternoon."

"Who brought that?" Lorelai asked, gesturing toward a large basket of flowers on the dining room table. "They're beautiful."

Rory followed her gaze. "Oh, Logan's sister sent flowers and a bunch of gifts."

"Really? That was nice," Lorelai said, then hesitantly asked, "Anything from his parents?"

"Not yet, but Honor said that they asked her for my address, so I guess something's coming," Rory replied with a shrug.

"That's a good sign that they're accepting this situation," Lorelai said.

"Well, let's wait and see what they send before we jump to that conclusion," Rory said. "It could very well be some sort a court order to prevent me from publicly disclosing the baby's father."

Lorelai shook her head. "Stop, it's gonna be fine. You said yourself that they understand that Logan's taking responsibility for his actions."

"Yeah, but they're still pissed that he screwed up everything else in the process," Rory replied. "No marriage to the French heiress, no taking over the family business. They don't understand why he couldn't do that stuff _and_ still be involved with Grace. They can't quite grasp the fact that he didn't want that stuff to begin with, so they're probably going to resent me and the baby forever."

"They're not gonna resent you forever. They might be a little irked at the situation right now, but they'll get over it."

"I just don't want them to be like Dad's parents, you know? They never wanted to get to know me, they pretended I didn't even exist."

Lorelai frowned sympathetically. "Well, maybe the fact that Logan is getting involved will make them want to be involved, too. Maybe they'll follow his lead. But there's nothing you can do to make them be involved, unfortunately. All you can really do is leave the door open and hope they use it and hope that Gracie Lou Freebush here will have a better experience with her paternal grandparents than you did."

"I guess," Rory agreed, then she asked, "Is it gonna be a different name every time you see her?"

"Until I run out of Graces, then I'll start over."

"Got it."

Lorelai looked down at Grace for a moment, and then back at Rory. "So, I have a question for you regarding Nantucket."

"We've already gone through all the words that rhyme with it," Rory replied. "More than once."

Lorelai smirked. "No, it's about something even more fun than rhyming words with Nantucket."

Rory feigned a surprised gasp. "What could be more fun than that?"

Lorelai grinned. "Well... you know how Luke and I are roped into spending two weeks there in the summer? We decided we're gonna do two separate weeks... one at the end of July and then one in August."

"Oh, good idea. That's more manageable."

"Right, that's what we thought, too. But..." Lorelai kissed the top of the baby's head before asking Rory, "What do you think about you and Grace Kelly coming with us?"

Rory's eyes widened. "Wow. Uh... I don't know, Mom. That seems a little overwhelming."

"Which part?"

"Bringing a baby and everything you need to take care of her on a ferry to an island and then lugging it all back home," Rory replied. "Just the thought of that is enough to not wanna go."

Lorelai smiled and shook her head. "See, no, I've been thinking about it, and I bet you anything that if Mom knew you were coming, she would take care of all that. She would probably turn one of the rooms in the guest house into a nursery and stock it with diapers and clothes and toys. You'd barely have to bring anything at all. Plus, it would make mine and Luke's time there much more fun if we could hang out with you guys. What do you say?"

Rory exhaled a breath, still unconvinced. "I don't know."

"What are you gonna miss out on? Everything you'd do at home with the baby, you can do there," Lorelai said. "Eating, changing, napping... all very doable on vacation. Except in this case, you'll have lots of help with her, so it'll be more relaxing for you there than here all by yourself. Plus, Logan will be in New York all week working, so it's not like you'd be depriving him time with her. Plus, you know Mom would love it... she's probably not going to get to see Grace very often, so it would be a nice treat for her."

Rory considered her points. "I mean, I guess it might not be so bad."

Lorelai gasped. "Really?"

"I'll think about it," Rory promised.

"Maybe mention it to Grandma tomorrow, plant the seed in her head," Lorelai suggested.

"Hi, _thinking_ about it," Rory reminded her.

"Sorry."

Luke and Logan came down the stairs, and Luke announced, "All set up there."

"He fixed the closet door in the nursery, the hook on the back of the bathroom door, and the window in the guest bedroom," Logan said, and patted Luke on the back. "The man's a genius."

"Yes, he's very handy," Lorelai agreed, smiling at Luke. "There's not a lot he can't fix."

"Thanks, Luke," Rory said. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem," he replied, and he glanced around the room. "Anything broken on the first floor?"

Rory shook her head. "No, we've used you enough for one visit. Sit down, relax."

"Is it brownie and cookie time now?" Lorelai asked.

"Ooh, yeah," Rory replied as she stood up from the couch. "I'll grab the Weston's box."

"And some milk, please," Lorelai added.

"Coming right up." Rory started walking to the kitchen, and called back over her shoulder, "Luke, you want milk? Soda? Water?"

"I'll have water, thanks," Luke replied.

Logan helped Rory retrieve the snacks and drinks, and they set everything on the coffee table. Logan took a cookie from the Weston's box. "I'm gonna let you guys catch up," he said, and he gestured toward the staircase. "I actually have to go up and do some things for work."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes with confusion. "I thought you didn't start the new job until next week."

"This is for the old job, actually," Logan replied. "I'm still sort of wrapping things up and transitioning things."

"Ah, got it," Lorelai replied. "Well, it was nice to see you."

"Yeah, you, too," Logan replied. "Luke, thanks for the handyman work."

"Any time," Luke said, giving him a nod, and Logan headed up the stairs.

Lorelai was still holding the baby, who was now sleeping in her arms.

"You want to put her down so you can eat?" Rory asked.

"No, I'm okay, it only takes one hand to feed myself," Lorelai replied, and held out her hand. "Brownie, please." Rory placed a brownie in her hand, and Lorelai took a bite before she excitedly said to Luke, "Oh, guess what... Rory might come to Nantucket with us!"

Rory rolled her eyes. " _Mom_. I said I'll think about it."

"She's gonna think about it!" Lorelai said excitedly to Luke.

Luke smirked. "I heard. So, let her think about it without bugging her."

"Thank you," Rory said to Luke, and then looked pointedly at Lorelai.

"Okay, fine, I'll drop it," Lorelai promised. She ate the rest of her brownie, and then asked, "So, doctor's appointment tomorrow, right? First checkup?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, tomorrow morning. I'll let you know how it goes." She hesitated a moment as she glanced down at the glass of milk in her hand, then said, "I'm not sure about the nursing." She quickly grimaced at Luke. "Sorry for the awkward topic, Luke."

"It's fine," Luke told her.

Rory shrugged a little. "I don't know what to do. Do you think I should try it a little longer before I decide?"

"Only if you want to, but don't feel pressured to," Lorelai replied. "It's not for everyone. Just be sure to ask the doctor if there's anything special you should know if you decide to stop."

"Okay," Rory replied.

Lorelai pointed to her glass of milk on the coffee table. "Can you pass me that?"

As Rory handed Lorelai the glass of milk, Luke asked, "So, Logan starts his job on Monday?"

"Yeah, he's going back to New York on Saturday night," Rory replied. "It'll just be me and Grace here."

"Make sure you call us if you need anything," Luke said.

"Yes, definitely," Lorelai agreed. "We'll come by if you want some company, or you can come over to us if you need a change of scenery."

"Maybe you could come over for dinner one night," Luke suggested.

Rory smiled. "Yeah, that'd be nice... thanks."

"You know what would be a _really_ good change of scenery?" Lorelai asked.

"Don't say Nantucket," Rory warned her.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. She glanced at the Weston's box on the coffee table and nonchalantly asked, "So, hey, are there any more brownies left?"

. . . . .

. . . . .

Three weeks later, they were all back in Nantucket at the house next door to Emily's. Upon hearing the news that Rory and Grace would be joining them, Emily had added a crib and changing table to the downstairs guest room. The changing table drawers were stocked with a variety of clothes, diapers, toys, and other accessories for the baby.

Emily was at the museum when they arrived into town, so she had arranged for a driver to pick them up from the ferry and give them the key to the house. Luke brought his and Lorelai's suitcases up to the master bedroom while Lorelai prepared a bottle in the kitchen for the crying baby.

Rory was pacing with Grace in the hallway, trying to calm her down. "It's okay, it's coming," she said softly. "Your food's almost ready."

"Got it, I got it," Lorelai said as she rushed toward them with the bottle. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Rory took the bottle and went to sit down with the baby in the living room to feed her.

Lorelai followed and watched as the baby started inhaling the bottle. "She's got our appetite."

"Yes, she does," Rory agreed. "I think it comes with the name."

"Do you need anything before I go up and help Luke unpack?"

"I think we're good here," Rory replied. "She's probably gonna fall asleep soon, so I'll probably try to nap with her."

"Okay. We'll be upstairs."

Lorelai headed up to the master bedroom where Luke was starting to empty their suitcases.

"The crying stopped," Luke said. "Is she eating?"

"Yup," Lorelai replied. "Everything's good."

"Good." He gestured toward her open suitcase. "I wasn't sure what you wanted to hang up and what went into drawers."

"Okay, I'll do it," Lorelai said, and she started going through her clothes. After a few minutes of unpacking, she asked him, "You wanna go sit on the beach for a little while? Rory and Grace are gonna nap."

"Sure."

They changed their clothes, put on sunscreen, threw some towels and snacks into a tote bag, and grabbed the beach chairs from the side of the house. They followed a pathway that led to a stretch of beach behind the fenced in back yard. They stripped down to their bathing suits and settled into their chairs.

"Not bad being here in nice weather, huh?" Lorelai asked. "We can relax and enjoy the sunshine, ogle each other's bodies in public..."

"Yeah, it's nice," he agreed.

"Your biceps are looking mighty sexy today, by the way," Lorelai said, glancing at his arms.

Luke smirked. "So are your legs."

"See, we're so good at public ogling."

"We are," he agreed.

"I wonder what Mom has on the agenda for this week," Lorelai said. "I guess we'll find out at dinner tonight."

"I think she had mentioned doing a winery tour," Luke recalled.

"Oh, right. That could be fun," Lorelai said. "And Rory definitely has to see Mom in action at the museum."

Luke laughed and nodded in agreement. "Oh, for sure. That was one of the highlights for me of the last trip."

"Your main highlight being how we energetically de-stressed ourselves every night after spending time with my mother, right?" Lorelai asked with a smirk. "Well, after Rory went back home."

Luke smiled. "That was the top highlight, yeah." He shook his head as he added, "No de-stressing this time, not with Rory and Grace here the whole week."

"None at all?"

"Nope. It'll have to wait until we're back home."

"So, hypothetically, if Rory takes Grace out for a walk and we're gonna be alone in the house for an hour, we're just gonna do a crossword puzzle or something?" Lorelai asked. "You won't be tempted at all to seduce me?"

"We won't know for sure when she'll be back," Luke pointed out. "She could leave for a walk thinking she'll be gone for an hour and then come back in ten minutes because the baby was being fussy or something. You can't plan for that. You know I won't be comfortable thinking she could pop back in at any minute."

"Okay, good point," Lorelai agreed. "I totally get that... it's a good, rational argument you have."

"Thank you."

"However..." Lorelai started.

Luke rolled his eyes under his sunglasses, but he was smiling at her. "Yes?"

"Take this alternate hypothetical scenario into consideration," Lorelai said. "We've had a long day. Grace is asleep. You've already gone upstairs to bed. Rory and I are chatting on the couch with ice cream or some other snack you'd disapprove of. She's tired and decides to turn in. I tell her I'm not quite ready for bed, so I'm gonna go up and take a shower."

"This is a very long hypothetical," Luke interjected.

"Hold on, I'm almost there," Lorelai assured him. "So, I head upstairs to the bedroom where you're waiting for me, and we lock the bedroom door, and then we slip into the bathroom and lock _that_ door, and we turn on the shower. We don't even have to get _in_ it if you don't want to, but we can still have some uninterrupted time together behind _two_ locked doors. Which I realize doesn't matter considering she's downstairs and any sounds she heard would go through the ceiling and not the doors. But there will be no bed noises to worry about, plus the running water serves as a cover to drown out any sounds that might slip out even though we'll be trying our hardest to be quiet. Which, when you think about it, makes it all the more exciting, doesn't it?" She quickly took a deep breath after unloading that mouthful of words.

"But -"

"And if Rory is still awake and hears anything, she'll think it's just me in there and that you're fast asleep, and there's no suspicion in her mind that anything is going on besides her beautiful mother getting nice and clean in the shower."

Luke had been listening and shaking his head as she described the scene. He let out a sigh as he muttered, "Lorelai..."

Lorelai flashed him a smile. "Yes, dear?"

He took a deep breath and huffed it out. "Let's just... put a pin in that, okay?"

"A pin?" Lorelai asked, and she pushed her sunglasses down on her nose to look at him over the rim. "So, it's not something you're rejecting altogether? You're leaving me an open window for possible seduction?"

"Look, I'm not gonna come out and say no because Lord knows you have powers over me," Luke said, and Lorelai smirked in response. "But we're not gonna sit here and plan some elaborate thing. We'll just see how the week goes, and if the opportunity presents itself... well, then we'll play it by ear. I'm gonna leave it at that."

Lorelai pushed her sunglasses back up and rubbed her hands together excitedly. "An open window."

Luke shook his head as he smiled amusedly. "Stop."

"Okay, fine... playing it by ear."

"Thank you."

"I wonder what's on the menu for tonight, " Lorelai said. "Probably some sort of surprise Berta dish."

"They're actually not bad," Luke remarked. "Don't always know what they are, but they have good flavor."

"Agreed." Lorelai glanced out at the water for a few moments, then looked back at Luke. "So, here's an idea I wanna run by you..."

Luke sighed. "I just told you, we'll play it by ear."

Lorelai smiled. "Not that. I was thinking maybe you and I could offer to watch the baby one afternoon so Rory could do her own thing for a few hours. Maybe she can work on her book a little, or maybe she'll wanna take a few hours to sit and read by the water. I don't know, but getting time to herself for the next eighteen years is going to be rare, so I thought it might be nice to offer."

Luke quickly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, definitely, we should do that." He hesitated a second before adding, "And also, if you wanted..."

"What?"

"If you two maybe wanted to go out and do something together, I could watch the baby," Luke said. "You know, so you can go grab a drink one night or go shopping, whatever... have some mother/daughter time."

Lorelai eyes widened beneath her sunglasses. "Really? You'd be okay watching her yourself?"

Luke shrugged. "Yeah. I've got the basics down... I can make a bottle, I've changed her diaper, I've seen you both do that little bouncy walk when she's crying to help calm her down... we'll be fine."

Lorelai smiled at him. "Okay. We'll talk to Rory about it later."

. . . . .

. . . . .

That night, everyone was gathered on the back patio at Emily's house. Luke and Lorelai were sitting together on one of the loveseats, with Lorelai holding the baby. Emily and Berta served the drinks, and then Emily sat down next to Rory on the opposite loveseat.

"Do you want to hold her, Mom?" Lorelai asked.

"In a few minutes," Emily replied. "She looks pretty comfortable where she is." She took a sip of her drink, then turned to Rory. "So, fill me in... what's new with you?"

"Oh, not much besides that one over there," Rory replied, gesturing toward the baby. "She'll be a month old next week."

Emily's eyes widened. "Wow, time flies, huh?" She smiled and added, "You seem like you've taken to motherhood pretty easily."

"Yeah, it's been pretty smooth so far, knock on wood," Rory replied. "A consistent circle of eating, sleeping, and diaper changing."

"Has she slept away from home overnight before?" Emily asked. "You think she'll be okay this week?"

"Mom and Luke have a travel crib in my old bedroom and she's napped fine in that a few times," Rory replied. "Not overnight, but she'll pretty much sleep anywhere."

"She inherited that from me," Lorelai commented.

"Has Christopher met her yet?" Emily asked.

"Yes, he did," Rory confirmed. "He's visited her a couple of times already. He's going to bring Gigi over to meet her the next time she's in from Paris."

"And have you heard from the Huntzbergers?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, they sent a couple of gifts," Rory replied. "And they mentioned maybe visiting next month when they're in town."

"I see," Emily replied, pursing her lips. "How nice of them to make their grandchild a priority."

Rory shrugged it off. "I don't really know what to expect with them at this point. I want them to get to know Grace if they want to, but I'm not going to beg them or force them. I just have to wait and see if they put any effort into it."

"I understand," Emily said. "Keep me posted."

"Logan's sister has been great, though," Lorelai added. "She sent some gifts right after the baby was born, and then visited a week or so later."

Rory nodded her confirmation. "Yeah, Honor's always been really nice to me. She was supportive through the pregnancy and she's been great since Grace was born."

"Well, that's nice to hear," Emily said. "At least Grace will have some connection to her father's side of the family."

"Yeah, it's a start," Rory agreed.

Emily set her drink down on the coffee table. "Okay, I'll take her now," she said to Lorelai.

Lorelai stood up and gently transferred the baby to Emily, and then sat back down next to Luke.

For a few moments, Rory watched Emily smiling down at the baby. "Does she look anything like Mom as a baby?" Rory asked. "I don't have any old pictures to compare it to."

Emily smiled at Rory. "A little bit, yes. She definitely has a Gilmore look to her."

"She's also got the Gilmore appetite, so we're waiting to see if she's also lucky enough to get the Gilmore metabolism," Lorelai said. "Which I'm eternally grateful for inheriting... thanks, Mom."

"Yeah, thanks, Grandma," Rory echoed.

"How are things at the new place, Lorelai?" Emily asked.

"Oh, they're going great," Lorelai replied. "It's going to turn a month old next week, too."

"And it's been pretty much booked solid ever since," Luke added, smiling proudly at Lorelai.

"Really? That's impressive," Emily said.

"Yeah, I guess having already established the Dragonfly name was a big help," Lorelai replied. "We're really happy with how everything's been going."

"Is it difficult juggling the two locations?" Emily asked.

"It's not too bad. I like to spend a little time at both of them every day," Lorelai replied. "I've usually been starting my days at the inn and then finishing them at the spa."

"That's smart," Emily said. "It's good for the manager to know what's happening at both places so they can stay on top of things."

"Yeah, and having them so close to each other is very convenient," Lorelai said. "I can zip back and forth in no time."

Emily looked down at the baby for a moment, and then lifted her head to look at Lorelai. "You know, he may not have said it often, but your father was very proud of that inn of yours. And of _you_ for how hard you worked to make it successful."

Lorelai smiled. "I know he was."

"And he is probably up there beaming about his daughter now running _two_ successful businesses," Emily continued. "You should be very proud of yourself. It's no easy task to accomplish what you have."

Lorelai swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a wave of emotions hit her. "Thanks, Mom," she said appreciatively.

Luke rubbed her knee with one hand while raising his glass with the other. "Cheers to that."

"Hear, hear," Rory added, raising her own glass. "We're all proud of you, Mom."

Lorelai smiled and playfully waved them off. "Aw, stop, you're gonna make me blush."

As they were sipping their drinks in Lorelai's honor, Berta walked in to announce that dinner was ready, and they headed inside to the dining room.

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few nights later, it was a little after ten when Lorelai and Rory returned to the house after their night out. They were quiet as they entered the house in case the baby was sleeping, but found her awake in Luke's arms as he fed her a bottle in the living room.

Lorelai and Rory both smiled at the sight. "That is the cutest thing ever," Lorelai said, pulling her phone out to take a picture.

"How was she?" Rory asked as she sat down beside him on the couch. "Was everything okay?"

"Apparently, you responding positively to the four strategically spaced texts throughout the night asking if everything was okay wasn't enough and she still feels the need to ask," Lorelai said with a smile.

"Hey, it's been an hour since my last text," Rory pointed out. "Things could have gone downhill in that time frame."

Luke smiled. "She was fine all night. She woke up about an hour after you left, I changed her, she ate, we watched television, she fell asleep for a few hours, and she just woke up hungry again."

"And you burped her after she ate, right?" Rory asked.

"I burped her," Luke confirmed. "Sorry, forgot to throw that in... woke up, changed, ate, burped, television, sleep, woke up hungry."

Rory smiled. "Okay, good. Thank you so much, Luke... I really appreciate it." She glanced down at Grace still sucking on the bottle. "Are you okay to finish feeding her while I go change?"

"Yup, go ahead," Luke said.

"Thanks." Rory stood up from the couch and headed to her bedroom.

Lorelai sat down on the couch beside him, and then leaned in to kiss him. "You are amazing, you know that?"

"For watching the baby?" Luke asked.

"That's one of the many reasons."

"She really wasn't any trouble," Luke said. "It was fine."

"Yeah, but the fact that you offered to do it at all meant a lot... to me and to Rory," Lorelai told him. "We had a nice night."

"Good, I'm glad," Luke said.

"And she's gonna take us up on our offer tomorrow," Lorelai said. "We'll watch Grace for a little while so Rory can focus on writing for a few hours."

"Okay. Oh, hold on." He noticed that Grace had stopped eating, so he put the bottle down, threw the burp cloth onto his shoulder, lifted her up to it, and proceeded to gently rub her back.

Lorelai was smiling as she watched him. "Look at you. You're like Super Grandpa, able to burp small babies in a single motion."

Luke smirked. "Yup, that's me."

Lorelai smoothed her hand over his hair. "It's so cute."

Rory returned to the living room dressed in her pajamas. "Okay, I can take her now."

"Okay. She hasn't burped yet," Luke told her. He handed the baby to her, and then he stood up from the couch. "I'm gonna head up to bed."

"Thank you again, Luke... really," Rory said sincerely. "It was so nice of you to watch her."

"Any time," Luke said, and he started walking toward the staircase.

"I'll be up in a little while," Lorelai said, and after a brief pause, she added, "You don't mind if I take a quick shower later, right? It won't wake you up?"

Luke stopped walking and glanced back at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Uh, no, that's okay... I'll sleep right through it."

"Okay, good... just checking."

Luke awkwardly rocked on his heels. "Okay, so... goodnight."

"Night, Luke," Rory said, distractedly rubbing the baby's back.

Lorelai gave him a quick wink as she smiled at him. "Night, hon."

. . . . .

. . . . .

An hour later, behind the locked door of the master bathroom, Lorelai and Luke were kissing passionately beside the shower stall as their hands explored each other's bodies. The shower was running for background noise as they started to undress each other.

As he reached behind her to unzip the back of her dress, Lorelai smiled against his lips. "You're really into this... the sneaky sex."

"Shh..." Luke quieted her by pressing his lips back against hers as he pushed her dress down to the floor.

"Were you up here thinking about it the whole time?" she whispered in between kisses.

"Mmhmm," he murmured as his hands moved down her back and caressed the curves of her cheeks.

Lorelai reached for the hem of his t-shirt, and Luke lifted his arms so she could pull his shirt up over his head. When she dropped the shirt to the floor, Lorelai moved her lips to his ear, whispering, "What'd you think about?"

"I thought about where I wanted you." Luke pulled her underwear down her legs, then guided her over to the bathroom counter.

Lorelai smoothed her hands over his arms, letting her fingers linger on his firm biceps. "And you decided on the counter?"

He lifted her up and sat her on a towel on the counter. "Yup."

"Hence the strategically placed towel," Lorelai commented.

"Mmhmm," he replied, and he pulled her thighs apart. "You good with that?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Mmhmm."

Luke kissed her lips before moving down to her chest to let his mouth give her breasts some attention. She tilted her head back and nibbled on her bottom lip, stifling her groans as her arousal grew.

When he pulled back from her chest, he kissed her deeply as he moved his hand between her legs. He gently slipped a finger between her folds to test her wetness, and she groaned into the kiss.

He pulled back from her, pushed his boxers down to the floor, and then leaned in to kiss her again. She instinctively reached for his hardness and began stroking it gently with her hand, making him groan. "You like that?" she muttered against his lips.

"Yes."

Lorelai shifted her hips slightly to give him a better angle as he pressed the head of his cock against her slit. He started to slide his length into her, and she gasped with pleasure. "Oh, God."

"Do you like _that_?" he asked.

"Mmm," she murmured, and as he pressed further into her, she let out a soft moan.

"Shh," Luke said calmly as he leaned in to kiss her again, and then he smiled. "You're gonna have trouble being quiet, aren't you?"

"Probably," Lorelai admitted, but then she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "But you totally knew that already and you still went along with this."

"I told you, you have powers," Luke replied, and he rested his hands on her hips. "Are you comfortable?"

Lorelai nodded, and Luke slowly pulled out of her and then gently pushed back in. Lorelai huffed out a deep breath and tilted her head back, murmuring, "Oh, God... you have powers, too."

He moved at a slow pace for a few minutes as they shared tender kisses and teased each other about trying to stay quiet. She had one hand resting behind her against the counter for balance while she caressed his body with the other.

When he picked up the pace and began thrusting into her a little faster, he pulled her body against his and embraced her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her forehead against his shoulder, struggling to keep the volume of her moans down as the pleasure started to build up inside her.

"Luke... oh, God," she murmured.

Her groans and whimpers were beginning to slip out every few seconds, and Luke stopped his motions. When she lifted her head to look at him, he nodded toward the shower behind him. "Let's finish in there," he suggested, and Lorelai nodded in agreement.

They stepped into the stall and he pressed her back against the shower wall, standing in front of her so that the water hit his back and was blocked from her.

She kept one foot on the floor, and lifted her other leg to wrap around him to give him better access. His hand went under her thigh for support and her arms circled his neck, and as he began thrusting into her, her soft whimpers quickly started up again. They shared passionate kisses and helped stifle each other's groans as they both tumbled toward the edge. They remained in the shower for a few minutes after their climaxes, caressing each other with body wash under the hot water.

As they were drying off in the bathroom, Lorelai wrapped a towel around her body, and then leaned back against the counter as she watched him pull on his boxers and t-shirt.

When he was finished getting dressed, he glanced over at her curiously. "You getting dressed?"

"I need to go get some pajamas," she said, gesturing toward the door to the bedroom. "But I got distracted by your body."

"Ah. Sorry. I hear that a lot."

Lorelai was smiling as he walked over to her and rested his hands on her waist. "You think a lot of grandparents do stuff like that?" she asked.

"Only the crazy ones," he replied.

Lorelai draped her arms over his shoulders. "We might be sore tomorrow... we don't stray from the bed very often anymore."

Luke shrugged. "That was worth a little soreness."

"Hmm." Lorelai eyed him curiously for a second. "So, does that mean someone might be interested in a repeat of tonight's activity sometime this week?"

Luke leaned in to kiss her before pulling back with a smirk. "We'll play it by ear."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**

.

 **Author's Note:** 14 chapters down, 2 to go. Thanks for reading! :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Officially Married - Chapter 15**

. . . . .

. . . . .

They returned home from Nantucket on Sunday and jumped right back into their normal routines on Monday. Lorelai spent the morning at the inn and the afternoon at the spa, and was exhausted when she arrived home on Monday night. She kicked off her heels, dropped her purse on the desk, and went to lie down on the couch.

"I'm home!" she called. "I'm on the couch and too tired to move."

"Be right there," Luke called back. A few seconds later, Lorelai heard his footsteps coming from the kitchen. "Here... sounds like you might need this."

Lorelai turned to look at him as he approached, and saw him holding out a brownie on a napkin. She gasped happily and took it from him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He leaned down to kiss her hello. "Hi."

"Hi. Here, sit." Lorelai sat up and rested her back against the arm of the couch. She moved her legs so he could sit down, and then she rested them on his lap. She broke off a piece of brownie and popped it into her mouth, moaning approvingly as she savored the taste. "Mmm, that's so good. You make these today?"

"Yup. I brought a few home for you," Luke replied.

Lorelai smiled and pointed at him as she declared, "You're my favorite husband."

"Thank you." Luke began caressing her lower legs. "So, what's going on... you have a bad day?"

"It wasn't bad, just busy," Lorelai replied. "I'm feeling a little worn out. I probably shouldn't have jumped right into a jam-packed day of work after a week of relaxing. I should have baby-stepped it, you know? Focused on catching up at the inn today, and then the spa tomorrow, and then eventually gone back to doing both in a few days."

"Yeah. It's a lot on your first day back."

"Everything was good business-wise, though," Lorelai confirmed. "No fires to put out. Michel is still insisting that we could benefit from a second massage therapist, at least on the weekends, so I finally gave him the okay to move forward with that."

"I guess it doesn't hurt to try it out and see if it's worth it."

"Yeah." Lorelai popped the rest of the brownie into her mouth. "How about you, how was your day?"

"Not bad, we were pretty busy all day," Luke replied. "Had to put in an emergency bread order because Caesar decided to make French toast one of the specials last week without anticipating that it would diminish the bread supply quicker than usual."

Lorelai shook her head disappointedly. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Where was his head?"

"Oh, and Kirk came in and ordered cheese fries and a double chocolate milkshake."

Lorelai frowned. "Uh oh. That's his moping meal."

"Yeah, he looked stressed about something," Luke replied. "I asked him if he was okay, and he just said he was contemplating an important decision."

"That could be anything from buying Petal a new leash to moving to Canada."

"Yup." Luke reached for a piece of paper on the coffee table and handed it to her. "Oh, this was in the mailbox when I got home."

Lorelai scanned the piece of paper. "The Stars Hollow Eclipse Festival will take place on August 21st from 2 to 4pm." She dropped the paper and looked at him confusedly. "The festival is two hours long? Is that a typo?"

Luke shrugged. "No clue."

Lorelai scoffed. "That's not a festival, that's an outdoor town meeting."

"You'll still go," he pointed out with a smirk.

"Of course I'll still go, but I'll be internally protesting their decision to call it a festival."

"Unless there's festival food," Luke added. "Then you'll drop the internal protest."

"Yes, obviously," she agreed.

Luke smiled and patted her leg. "You hungry? I picked up a couple of steaks to throw on the grill for dinner, but I can make something else if you want."

"No, that sounds good," Lorelai replied.

"Okay. I'm gonna go start 'em."

As Luke stood up from the couch and started walking away, Lorelai said, "Wait, can you pass me the phone? I wanna check in with Rory."

Luke handed her the phone from the desk and headed to the kitchen to start dinner. Lorelai dialed Rory's number, and Rory answered after the first ring.

"Mom! I was just about to call you!"

Lorelai was surprised by Rory's enthusiastic greeting. "Everything okay?"

"I have two weeks to finish the draft of my book and make it as perfect as I possibly can!"

"What? Why? What's going on?"

Rory took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Okay, you know that editor I've been working with, the one we met at Donald's party?"

"Glen Coco?"

Rory sighed. "Glen _Connor_."

"Not as fun."

"He called me today to ask how the book was coming along, and I said I was almost done," Rory explained. "He asked if I'd be able to get him the finished draft in two weeks because that's when he and his team are going to start finalizing their selection of what books they'll publish in the first half of next year."

"Oh, wow. You go, Glen Connor."

"You're right, not as fun," Rory commented.

"See? Told you!"

"Anyway, he said it's fine if I can't make the deadline, that it would just push back the publication date if they did decide to move forward with publishing it," Rory continued. "But I'd obviously love to get it to him sooner rather than later, so now I'm stressing out about having an upcoming firm deadline instead of just being able to get it done when I have time."

"Why are you stressing? You told me last week that it was _practically_ done, and you told him yourself today that it was _almost_ done... it sounds to me like you're pretty much done, hon."

"Yeah, but there's still a lot of fine-tuning to do," Rory explained. "I have to really focus on it now."

"Okay, so, you have two weeks to get it tuned," Lorelai said calmly. "What can I do to help you focus?"

"Can you watch Grace a couple of nights this week, and maybe next week?" Rory asked. "I just need a few hours of uninterrupted writing time each day. Logan can do it on the weekend, but by the time he gets here on the weeknights after work, it wouldn't really give me much time to write, and then he'd have to travel late back into the city for work. It just seems easier if I could maybe run her over to your house for a few hours."

"Yup, we can watch her as much as you need us to," Lorelai replied. "No problem."

"Thank you," Rory said sincerely. "That would help a lot."

"Hold on a second." Lorelai stood up from the couch and started walking toward the kitchen. "Let me double check with Luke and make sure he didn't have any random surprise activities planned." She walked out the door to the back yard, calling, "Hey, Luke?"

Luke was standing by the grill, tongs in hand, and turned to look toward her. "Yeah?"

"Rory needs someone to watch Grace a few nights this week and maybe a few next week," Lorelai said. "We don't have anything going on, right?"

A look of concern appeared on Luke's face. "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's good," she assured him. "She just needs some time to get her book done... she was given a two-week deadline."

Luke exhaled a sigh of relief. "Oh, okay, good."

"We can be at her disposal, right?" Lorelai asked. "We don't have anything going on this week or next?"

Luke thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Not that I can think, except for the town meeting on Thursday."

"Okay." Lorelai replied, and then said into the phone, "Did you hear that? We're all yours."

"Great, thank you both," Rory said.

"You're welcome. And in return, you have to let me call that guy Glen Coco from now on," Lorelai replied. "Deal?"

"Deal."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Lorelai and Luke watched Grace the next three nights. On Thursday night, after she had been fed and changed, they put her in the stroller and walked to Miss Patty's for the town meeting. They parked the stroller outside and Lorelai lifted Grace out of it as Luke grabbed the diaper bag.

As they walked into the studio through the back door, Taylor immediately announced, "Luke, Lorelai, you're late."

"Yes, but we brought an adorable baby with us to divert your attention from our tardiness," Lorelai replied.

As everyone turned around to look at them, Taylor squinted a little. "That's a baby? Hard to tell from here."

"Yup, definitely a baby," Lorelai replied.

"Aw, would you look at that!" Babette jumped up from her seat and walked over to greet the baby, and a few others quickly followed.

Taylor banged his gavel on the podium. "People, people... sit down, please! You've seen a baby before."

"Taylor, you should be thanking this baby," Gypsy said. "It revived the crowd you just put to sleep with your boring speech about mosquitoes."

Taylor gave her a stern look. "That was uncalled for."

Luke gestured to some empty chairs a few rows up. "Come on, let's sit." He guided Lorelai to the chairs, and everyone else returned to their seats.

"Lorelai, if that baby cries and causes a distraction, I'm going to have to ask you to take her outside," Taylor warned her.

"Got it, Taylor," Lorelai distractedly replied as she adjusted Grace in her lap.

"Resume the meeting, Taylor," Luke said.

As Taylor started talking at the podium, Gypsy tapped Lorelai on the back from the row behind her. "Lorelai," she whispered.

Lorelai glanced back over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Can I hold the baby?" Gypsy whispered. "I spend all day holding metal tools, it would be nice to hold something soft and squishy."

Luke overheard and glanced back at Gypsy with an awkward look. "She's not a stuffed animal."

"I know she's not," Gypsy replied. "But she's softer than a wrench."

Lorelai smiled and nodded at Gypsy. "We'll hang out after the meeting and you can hold her."

"Can I hold her, too?" Babette whispered loudly from the next row.

"And me," Kirk added.

Taylor coughed loudly at the front of the room, and everyone quieted down. "Lorelai, I warned you," he said.

"You said to take her outside if she cries," Lorelai replied. "She hasn't made a peep."

"She's causing a distraction," Taylor argued.

"No, she's not," Lorelai countered. "The people who want to cuddle her are."

"Yes, but her presence is instigating them to be distracted," Taylor replied.

"Yeah, but - " Lorelai started.

"All right, that's it," Luke interrupted loudly as he stood up from his seat. "New rule... anyone who causes a distraction in any way whatsoever during the meeting will not get to hold the baby afterwards... understood?" He sat back down and then gestured toward the front of the room. "Go on, Taylor."

A murmur went through the crowd along with some surprised looks. It was rare for Luke to back up Taylor, who himself seemed a little confused as he stammered, "Uh... all right... well, then, let's continue."

Luke glanced over at Lorelai, who was looking at him curiously. "What?" he asked quietly.

Lorelai leaned in closer to him to whisper, "Are you okay? You just helped Taylor out."

"That wasn't me _helping_ Taylor."

"No? So, what was it?"

"That was me protecting my girls because you were about to escalate that into a shouting match, and then Grace would've gotten scared and started crying, and then Taylor would say that he warned you about her crying, and then _you'd_ yell at Taylor for making _you_ yell which caused _her_ to cry, and then she'd cry more, and it would've been chaos, so I decided to put an end to it right up front."

Lorelai was grinning at him. " _Protecting my girls_."

"That's all you took away from that explanation?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup." She was holding a soft butterfly-shaped rattle in front of Grace's hand, watching her fingers try to reach for the circular handle. "She can't quite figure out how to grab it, but it's adorable watching her try."

Luke reached over and tried to coax her little fingers around the handle. "You almost have it, Grace... keep trying," he whispered.

Lorelai smiled and reached for his hand to put it side by side next to the baby's. "I love how insanely huge your hand looks next to hers."

Luke smiled and stretched his hand out. "It's like half the size of her entire body."

After Taylor adjourned the meeting, they brought the baby out to the grassy area behind the studio, and a group gathered in a circle around them.

Luke held up his hands. "All right, two steps back, people," he declared. "Don't crowd her."

Once everyone had moved back a little, he continued, "Now, if anyone's sick, don't touch her or even breathe near her. In fact, leave right now. Everyone else, you get two minutes to hold her. Don't make any loud noises, don't walk around with her, and if she cries for more than a minute, we're outta here. Gypsy, you asked first, so you're up."

Lorelai was smiling as she watched him take control of the situation. "You wanna set the timer as I officially hand her off?" she teased as she placed the baby in Gypsy's arms.

Luke glanced down at his watch. "I'm watching the clock."

The group chatted as they took turns holding Grace, and when she started to get fussy, they took her home. By the time they got back to the house, she had fallen asleep. Lorelai lifted her gently from the stroller and brought her inside to the crib in Rory's old bedroom. She turned on the baby monitor and quietly shut the door to the bedroom as she walked out.

She joined Luke on the couch in the living room and placed the receiving part of the baby monitor on the coffee table. They both stared at it for a few moments, listening for any noise, and finally Lorelai whispered, "I think we're good."

"Yup," he agreed, and he glanced at his watch. "Rory's picking her up at ten?"

"Yes." Lorelai put her feet up on the coffee table. "What do you wanna do? Watch something?"

"Let's just talk," he suggested.

"Okay. Can we talk about the way Taylor looked at you after you helped him?" Lorelai asked, smiling. "Because even if that wasn't your intent, that's how he saw it, and maybe building a good rapport with him could benefit us."

"Like how?"

"I don't know, maybe we can get him to change the property lines so that Rory's house is technically in Stars Hollow instead of being just outside Stars Hollow," Lorelai suggested.

"She's completely fine with not being in Stars Hollow."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be cool if Grace could go to Stars Hollow schools just like Rory did?"

"We don't have to worry about that for a few years," Luke pointed out.

"Ooh, that's a good point. You have time to really develop and cultivate that friendship so we have a better shot of victory," Lorelai said. "Good plan."

"So _not_ the plan," he muttered, shaking his head.

"You guys should start going out for beers... wait, does Taylor drink? I don't think he drinks. Maybe go out for tea or something, talk about your lives, stuff like that," Lorelai told him. "You know, like friends do."

"One thousand percent not happening," Luke said.

"Oh, speaking of which, you know how I was telling you about how we've been getting groups of women booking these girls' weekend spa trips?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes."

"There's a group coming tomorrow, and they asked for Michel to arrange for them to go to that painting place in Danbury where you have some wine and snacks while an instructor teaches you how to paint a picture," Lorelai explained. "You know those places, right? We've seen them."

"Yeah, we've driven past 'em."

"Sookie and I decided we wanna go to one and test out our artistic skills," Lorelai said.

"Oh, yeah, that'd be fun for you two."

"And then I'll come home with a beautiful piece of art we can hang up somewhere... or if it's bad, we'll blame it on the wine and throw it out."

Luke smirked. "I'm sure it'll be good."

"We haven't decided what night for sure yet, but maybe next Friday."

"Okay."

"Maybe you can add that to your list of things to do with Taylor," Lorelai teasingly suggested.

Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly. "Geez. This is gonna be a new bit of yours, isn't it?"

Lorelai eagerly nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Super."

Lorelai smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "We're gonna be baby-free tomorrow... date night out?"

"Hmm." Luke brought his hands up to cradle her neck and pulled her in for another kiss. "Partial date night out immediately followed by partial date night in?"

Lorelai smiled against his lips. "Perfect."

 **. . . . .**

 **. . . . .**

A week later, Lorelai and Sookie stopped at a diner in Danbury for dinner before their painting class. They were seated at a booth and ordered their food, and then started to chat while they waited for it.

"So, you're heading back to Nantucket next week, right?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, it'll just be me and Luke this time... Rory and Grace are gonna sit this trip out." She paused a moment before adding, "I'm actually a little nervous going without them. This will be the first time since the baby was born that I won't be just a few minutes away if she needs me for something."

"Jackson and I will be around, we can be the surrogate grandparents while you're away," Sookie offered. "Tell Rory to call us anytime day or night if she needs anything."

Lorelai smiled. "I will, I'll tell her. That makes me feel better, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"She finished her book this week," Lorelai said. "She sent it in to the editor, and now she just has to wait and see if they decide to publish it."

"Oh, wow. I'm sure that's gotta be equally exciting _and_ nerve-racking for her," Sookie said.

"Yeah, it is. But she's got that cute little baby to distract her from stressing out over it," Lorelai said.

Sookie smiled. "That baby seems to help with _your_ stress, too. You were especially cheery these past two weeks when you were seeing her so much."

Lorelai grinned. "You know how it can be with babies, they have this calming effect. When she's around, we just focus on her and everything else slows down and the world seems slightly less chaotic for a little while."

Sookie nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"And then we get to send her home and we get a good night's sleep without having to deal with any middle of the night crying," Lorelai added. "It all works out pretty well."

Sookie giggled. "Sounds perfect."

Lorelai smiled across the table at Sookie. "This is fun. I feel like we haven't hung out like this in a long time."

"Too long," Sookie said. "We need to do this more often, spend time together outside of work."

"Yes, definitely," Lorelai agreed. "We should try to start doing it at least once a month."

"I agree," Sookie said, and then giggled, "And also, that's what she said."

Lorelai smiled. "You're still twelve."

Sookie nodded. "I am."

"And aw, once a month... that couple needs to spice it up a little."

Sookie playfully wagged a finger at her. "Hey, some couples are just fine with once a month."

Lorelai paused for a moment and then gasped softly. "Wait, really? You're a once-a-month couple now?"

Sookie shrugged. "Sometimes twice if there's a holiday or special occasion. I mean, it's not that we don't _want_ more, it's just that we're both always exhausted."

"Huh."

Sookie smiled at her. "Let me guess, you and Luke are still in the honeymoon phase?"

Lorelai shrugged a little. "I wouldn't exactly say that... I mean, it's probably not the same honeymoon phase of energetic recently-married twenty-somethings, but it's some sort of aged version of it," Lorelai replied, then grinned as she added, "It's certainly more than once a month, I can tell you that much."

Sookie smiled. "Well, that's no surprise. I remember some of the stories you would tell me when you first started dating." She shook her head in disbelief. "Man, it was like listening to the adventures of a college girl and her frat guy boyfriend."

Lorelai giggled and waved her off. "Oh, stop, it was _not._ "

"It was, too. You two were quite the wild ones."

Lorelai smiled. "Well, we're not exactly as wild anymore, but yeah, I guess we're probably more active than some couples our age," she said. "And I gotta tell you, it got even better after we started therapy and began opening up to each other more. It's not a myth that strengthening the emotional connection helps make the physical connection better."

"I'm calling it right now, you're gonna be one of those couples still doing it in a nursing home," Sookie declared.

Lorelai smiled and shrugged. "Who knows?"

"So, you guys barely ever fight anymore, right?" Sookie asked.

"We disagree, but we don't really fight. We've mastered the art of having calm discussions and compromising."

"So, that means there's at least one downside to this whole rejuvenated communication thing... no makeup sex."

Lorelai smiled. "That's true, but most people need that to add a little spice. We've already got spice coming out the wazoo, so it's not a big loss."

 _"Oh, look at us, we're so happy and in love, we don't even need makeup sex,"_ Sookie mimicked her with a smirk. "You realize that you two are annoyingly adorable, right?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded her confirmation. "I do."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few days later, Rory and Grace met Lorelai in front of the spa before the solar eclipse festival, and they started walking across the street toward the gazebo.

"No update from the editor yet?" Lorelai asked.

"He's only had the draft for a week," Rory reminded her. "Remember, he said they have a lot of drafts to read and discuss, so it could be close to a month before I hear from him."

"Yes, I know, but I was hoping that by asking about it every day, it would somehow make it happen faster."

"It won't," Rory replied. "But slightly related to that, I've been in touch with my friend Lydia in New York to let her know what's going on, and she's on board with whatever I need."

"Is she the book agent?"

"Yeah, I figured if things work out with this publishing company and they actually make me an offer, she could help review the contract, make sure it looks good," Rory said. "And on the other hand, if it _doesn't_ work out with this company, if they decide to pass on the book, then she can be ready to help me get it out to some other companies."

"Oh, good idea, you're all prepared for the next steps."

"Yup," Rory said. "Are you guys all packed for Nantucket?"

Lorelai let out a laugh. "Good one."

Rory smiled. "Oh, sorry, my mistake. You have three days left to pack, so of course you haven't started yet."

"Nope, not yet, but feel free to stop by any time over the next three days and do it for me," Lorelai said. They reached the gazebo and glanced around at the few booths around it. "Not a lot of people here yet. Do you want to start with the sun-shaped cookies or the moon-shaped donuts?"

"I think cookies," Rory decided.

They headed toward the booth and bought a couple cookies, and then walked over to a bench to sit down and eat them.

"So, question for you," Lorelai said. "Have you had a chance to tell your grandmother about last week's visit with the Huntzbergers? Should I be prepared for her to ask me questions about it?"

"I called and told her about it," Rory confirmed. "I told her it was a pleasant visit. That they brought gifts and held the baby and offered to pay for me to bring her to London for visits when I'm ready for her to travel. That if they were resentful toward me or the baby for throwing Logan off their carefully planned track, they hid it well."

"I'll give them some points for that."

"They didn't quite grasp that we weren't a couple, but neither does Grandma, so that wasn't anything new." Rory took a bite of her cookie and chewed it slowly. "I mean, it's not that complicated, right? We're a former couple who are still friends, caring for our child together. It's not a difficult concept."

"Nope, not difficult," Lorelai agreed.

"He sleeps in the guest room when he visits, he spends time with Grace, he goes back to the city for work," Rory continued. "It's a good system, it's been working fine... we're both still on the same page."

"Do you think he's on the same page, or just _saying_ he's on the same page?"

"I think we're on the same page, at least for now," Rory replied. "I'm very aware that pages can turn, and if they do, we'll talk about it then. But for now, we need to focus on Grace."

"I think that's a good plan," Lorelai said, and she reached into the stroller to rub Grace's chin. "I think we should all focus on Amazing Grace."

"Hey," a voice said, and Lorelai looked up to see Luke approaching them.

Lorelai smiled at him. "Hi, there."

"Hey, Luke," Rory said.

"Hey, Rory," Luke replied, and then bent down to look into the stroller. "Hey, Gracie."

"This is her first Stars Hollow festival," Rory said.

"We're starting her off small before we throw her into the Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Festival next month," Lorelai said.

"Good idea," Luke said. "We should get her ear plugs before then." He gestured to the stroller. "Can I take her out?"

"Sure," Rory said.

"Keep her in the shade, though," Lorelai added.

Luke unbuckled her and lifted her from the stroller, and grinned adoringly at her in his arms. "Hi... how's Grace today? Is she ready to be surrounded by crazy people?" He turned his back toward the sun to block it from her. "There you go, no sunburn for you," he said, tapping her lightly on the nose.

Lorelai and Rory were both smiling up at him from the bench. "Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the one thing in the world that can turn Luke Danes into a pile of mush in under seven seconds," Lorelai declared in an announcer voice as she held an invisible microphone to her lips. "Mr. Danes, do you have any comments?" she asked, offering him the fake mic.

Luke leaned toward her hand to play along. "Uh, no comment, but I'd like to ask that everyone please respect our privacy at this time, thank you."

As more people started to arrive for the festival, some started to make their way over to see the baby. Luke eventually handed her to Rory to let her show her off, and he stepped back to linger a few feet away from the crowd that had gathered around her.

As Luke was glancing around at the activity in the square, he was suddenly surprised to see a familiar face approaching him. Luke smiled as he exclaimed, "Jess!" When he'd reached him, they embraced in a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Just a quick visit," Jess replied. "I've been doing some traveling for work and had a layover in Hartford, so I figured I'd head over for a few hours. I called Liz on my way to her house and she said they'd be here for the festival."

"Well, it's good to see you," Luke said, patting his shoulder. "You look good."

"You, too," Jess replied.

Lorelai had noticed them talking and walked over with a surprised smile on her face. "Jess, hey. I didn't know you were in town."

"Just for a few hours on a layover," he replied.

"Cool," Lorelai said, and then she gestured toward the group surrounding Rory. "You wanna see Rory and meet her daughter? Your... uh..." She narrowed her eyes with confusion. "Step-cousin? Step-cousin once removed? Step-second-cousin?"

"Come meet Grace," Luke interjected.

"Yes, that works better," Lorelai agreed. "Let me go extract Rory." She walked over to the crowd and tapped Rory on the shoulder. "Hey, we've got a special guest over here who wants to say hi to you and Grace."

Rory glanced over and smiled when she saw Jess standing with Luke. She excused herself from the crowd and walked over to them. "Hey."

"Hey," Jess replied, and then nodded toward the baby. "I'm guessing that's Grace, unless you've traded babies with someone else for the time being."

"Yes, this is Grace," Rory replied, angling the baby toward him.

"Congratulations," Jess said, and then smiled as he shook his head slightly. "Wow. You have a kid. I can't believe you have a kid."

"Yeah, and I say it just like that to myself in the mirror every day," Rory joked. "How have you been?"

"Good, been keeping busy with work," Jess replied. "How's the book coming?"

Rory's eyes lit up with excitement. "Great! I sent the final draft to a publisher last week. I should hear back next month about whether they want to publish it."

"Oh, good, that's great," Jess said. "Well, you know, if they're not interested, let me know... I can help you out."

Rory smiled. "Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."

"Hi, Aunt Lorelai!" a voice called, and Lorelai turned around to see Doula running toward her, with Liz and TJ behind her.

"Hey, kiddo," Lorelai called, then said to Rory, "See how cool _Aunt Lorelai_ sounds."

"You're not Grace's aunt, you're her grandmother," Rory reminded her.

Hugs were exchanged and everyone chatted for a few minutes before Taylor stood on the gazebo steps to address the crowd.

"People, peak viewing time begins in five minutes," he announced into a megaphone. "Remember, we will only see a partial solar eclipse, not the full eclipse, so don't be alarmed when the sky does not go completely dark. Also, do not look up at the sky without the special eclipse glasses, or you will go blind. I repeat, you WILL go blind. See the booth next to the gazebo if you need a pair of glasses."

"Did you grab some glasses?" Luke asked Lorelai.

"Yeah, I brought three pairs from the spa for you, me, and Rory," Lorelai replied. "They're in the stroller."

"We have to hit up the booth and get some," Liz replied.

"Doula and I will get 'em," Jess offered, and they started heading over to the booth.

"Do we have time for donuts?" TJ asked, checking his watch. "I think we have time."

"Fast, we have to go fast," Liz urged him, and they rushed toward the snack booths.

"I'm gonna put her down," Rory said, and she walked over to put Grace in the stroller.

Lorelai smiled at Luke as she linked her arm through his. "I wasn't expecting the eclipse festival to turn into a cute little family reunion."

"Yeah, me either," he said. "It's nice."

They walked over to Rory at the stroller, and Lorelai handed out the eclipse glasses she'd brought from the spa.

"Lorelai!" a voice called, and she turned around to see Kirk running toward her.

"Whoa. What's wrong, Kirk?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm about to have one of the biggest moments of my life and I'm freaking out," Kirk worriedly explained. "I don't know which way it's gonna go, what if she says no?"

Lorelai smiled knowingly at Luke and Rory before calmly asking Kirk, "Uh, let me guess, Kirk... are you finally proposing to Lulu again?"

"Yes, I was going to do it during the eclipse so that it was memorable, but now I don't know if I should or not," Kirk replied before exhaling a nervous sigh. "I'm starting to talk myself out of it. I can't take the possible rejection. I might need to go to your house to vomit."

"Kirk, you've proposed twice and she said yes both times," Lorelai reminded him. "She'll say yes again. She's in it for the long haul, you just have to actually turn the engagement into a marriage this time. It's that follow-through you need to work on."

"The follow through. Yeah, the follow through, okay. Got it." Kirk took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Okay, I'm good now. Thank you."

"Good luck, Kirk," Lorelai said as she patted him on the shoulder. "Don't stress out."

"Okay. I'm gonna do it." Kirk turned and walked away, patting his pants pockets to make sure he had the ring.

"Oh, my God, I always forget that they're not actually married," Rory said incredulously. "So, this will be the third engagement?"

"Yup. They have this weird pattern going... they get engaged, then eventually the months start to go by without any wedding planning, and then the engagement reaches somewhere around the 3-year mark, and Lulu returns the ring and says they should get engaged again closer to the wedding," Lorelai said.

"Closer to the wedding that they hadn't planned yet?" Rory asked confusedly.

"Yes."

"Well, sure, makes sense," Rory said.

"Maybe this time the wedding will actually happen," Lorelai said. "Maybe the third time's the charm."

"I highly doubt it," Luke said.

Lorelai nudged him. "Come on, be nice."

"That's not me being mean, that's me looking at the precedent," Luke said. "You just said it yourself, it's their pattern. They can't ever make it to the finish line, I don't know why."

"Well, I think people probably thought that about us, too," Lorelai said with a shrug. "Sometimes it just takes time for all the pieces to fall into place."

Luke nodded in agreement. "Right... you're right."

Rory had put on her eclipse glasses and was looking up at the sky. "You guys, try it out... you can kind of see it."

They put on their glasses and joined her in staring up at the sky. Jess, TJ, Liz, and Doula soon returned and stood with them. Luke kept glancing down to check on the stroller to make sure the shade was still covering Grace from the sun.

"So... is this it?" TJ asked. "It's not that exciting."

"I think it's kind of groovy," Liz said.

In the distance, they heard Kirk yell, "She said yes! Lulu said yes again!"

Some people took off their glasses to see what was going on, and there was some scattered applause.

Lorelai smiled at the sight of Kirk and Lulu hugging across the square. "Aw, that's sweet."

Luke was also smiling toward them. "Yeah." He looked over at Lorelai and leaned in to kiss her before they put their glasses back on to look up at the sky.

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few weeks later, Lorelai was sitting at the counter in the diner sipping a cup of coffee as she waited for Luke to finish closing up for the night. She had started to help him by wiping down tables, but he insisted that she sit down and relax.

"You just spent the entire day running two businesses," he'd told her. "You don't need to spend your free time working at a third."

Lorelai obligingly sat at the counter and chatted with him as he wiped down the counter and tables, and then began sweeping the floor. "You know, I realized today that next Friday is already the first day of Fall," she said. "Can you believe that?"

"Already, really?" Luke paused to think for a moment with a perplexed look on his face, then said, "Wow, it is. Time flies."

"Yup. It's almost time for our trip to the orchard to go apple picking and get those good cider donuts, and then come home so I can watch you bake things and make the house smell all delicious and cinnamony like that apple pie flavored candle I have."

Luke smiled. "Maybe next weekend, if the weather's nice."

"Okay. This'll be our first annual orchard trip as a married couple," Lorelai said. "Do they give discounts for that?"

Luke furrowed his brow and pretended to ponder the question. "Hm, I can't remember... we'll have to ask when we get there." He walked into the kitchen and they continued chatting through the open doorway until Lorelai's cell phone started ringing.

"Oh, hold on, my phone's ringing," she called to him, and she pulled it from her purse to check it. "It's Rory," she told him before answering it. "Hello?"

"Mom, I have news!" Rory excitedly greeted her.

"What, what's happening?"

"They're publishing the book!"

Lorelai gasped. "What? You heard back from Glen Coco?"

Rory squealed a little. "Yes, I just got the call! They made me an offer!"

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. "Rory, that's amazing. I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Mom."

Hearing's Lorelai's excitement, Luke popped his head out of the kitchen. "What's going on?"

"They're gonna publish Rory's book," Lorelai told him.

Luke grinned and clasped his hands together. "I knew it, I knew they'd go for it."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "I'll fill you in after I hang up." As he headed back to the kitchen, Lorelai said to Rory, "Luke is as equally excited and proud as I am."

"Thank him for me," Rory said.

"Do you have any other details yet, like when it's gonna come out?" Lorelai asked.

"Not yet. Once I get all the updates made and the book is _really_ done and ready to print, they'll be able to decide on an actual release date."

"What updates?"

"I don't know yet. They said they have a list of notes on the draft that they want to go over with me," Rory explained. "They want me to come to their office next week to sign the contract and start the editing process... which leads me to ask for a huge favor that I'm sure you're already sick of hearing me ask for."

"What is it?"

"Can you watch Grace next Tuesday when I go in for my meeting?" Rory asked.

"Of course. What time?"

"Well, the formal contract signing is at nine, and then they want me to sit with this other editor named Audrey for a few hours for an editing session."

"Oh, it won't be Glen Coco himself working with you?"

"I guess he's like the head editor, but I'll be working with someone who reports to him for the editing session," Rory explained. "But how long is an editing session? I don't know if that means two hours or if that means six hours. I have no idea what to expect. I should have gotten more clarification."

Lorelai could tell that she was starting to stress out. "Calm down, it'll be fine. You got past the biggest hurdle already... you wrote the book. Now the rest of it will feel like smooth sailing."

"I hope so."

"And yes, we will watch her next Tuesday for as long as you need us to," Lorelai assured her. "By the end of the day, she'll know how to check in guests and possibly give massages."

"I'm sorry that you have to juggle her around work, I feel bad," Rory said. "Logan has a meeting in the morning that he can't miss, but he said he can take the afternoon off if I need him to. I can ask him to come pick her up so you don't have her all day."

"No, it's okay. It'll be fun mixing up the routine a little," Lorelai said. "Plus, there are kids at the inn and the spa all the time, so it's not like she'll stick out like a sore thumb like she would if I worked at a laboratory or something. Because then everyone would be like, 'oh, wow, there's a baby here... and where'd you get that adorable mini monogrammed lab coat?' And I'd be like, 'Oh, I made it for her myself! Do you want me to make one for the special child in your life?' and then I'd start taking orders and you can see how that would be distracting."

"Completely," Rory replied amusedly.

"So, it's no trouble."

"Okay, thank you... I appreciate it."

Lorelai exhaled a content sigh. "This is incredible, honey. It's big... it's huge. Make sure you gloat a little, okay? Be proud of yourself. You've been working really hard on this and it's paying off."

"It seems like it, yeah," Rory said, and Lorelai smiled at the sound of happiness in her voice. "It feels really good."

"We should do something to celebrate," Lorelai suggested.

"Matching tattoos?"

"Hmm, something less permanent."

"Matching piercings?"

"Or, how about we pick a day for you to come to the spa for a massage and a mani/pedi?"

"Oh, yeah, that sounds good," Rory said. "I'm gonna go call Grandma to fill her in on the news, but I'll call you tomorrow and we'll figure out a day, okay?"

"Okay. Goodnight, hon."

"Bye, Mom."

Lorelai hung up the phone, and then called into the kitchen, "I'm off the phone now."

"I only heard bits and pieces," he called back. "What's going on?"

Lorelai walked into the kitchen and filled him in on the conversation as he finished scrubbing some pans.

Luke was smiling as he shook his head in disbelief. "Can you imagine walking into a book store and seeing her book on a shelf? That's amazing just to even think about."

"Yeah, it is, it's definitely amazing, it's really cool," Lorelai agreed as she nodded affirmatively, and then Luke watched as she glanced to the side and sort of dazed off.

"Lorelai," he calmly prompted her.

Lorelai met his gaze and held it for a moment as she mentally gathered the thoughts in her head. "Okay, well, I'm really excited for her, obviously..."

"But?"

"But I'm also feeling a little nervous about the book," she admitted. "I mean, I knew it was coming, but it always seemed like a far-off thing. Now that it's getting closer, it's sort of hitting me that a book about our life is going to be out there for everyone to read."

Luke dried his hands on a towel and walked over to her. "Yeah, I guess that's gotta feel a little weird," he said as he rubbed her shoulder.

"People are gonna get to read about this whole other aspect of our life, stuff that only Rory and I knew. I don't know how into detail she goes or how personal she gets, but there are probably memories in there that no one else knew about that now suddenly _everyone_ will know about."

"Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how personal she gets," Luke said. "I still can't believe you had the first three chapters and didn't read them."

"I wanted her to tell the story she wants to tell," Lorelai said with a shrug. "If I had read it and didn't like certain parts or wanted her to change stuff, then it wouldn't really be the story she _wants_ to tell... it would be the story I'll _let_ her tell. I wanted her to have that creative freedom to write what she wanted without me influencing it too much."

Luke smiled as he reached for her hands and squeezed them. "You're an amazing mom."

Lorelai smiled. "I guess we'll find out for sure when we read the book."

Luke gently shook his head. "No, I don't need the book to tell me that." He brought one hand up to brush some strands of her hair out of her face. "I don't say it a lot because I always assume you know it, but you should be reminded sometimes... you're an _amazing_ mom."

Lorelai smiled appreciatively. "Thanks."

"And an amazing grandmother," Luke added. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. "And you're not so bad at the wife thing, either." He smiled before leaning in to kiss her.

Lorelai wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled against his lips. "Thank you."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **To be continued...**


	16. Chapter 16

**Officially Married - Chapter 16**

. . . . .

. . . . .

Early on Tuesday morning, Rory brought Grace over to Luke and Lorelai's house, and then Luke drove Rory to the train station before he headed to the diner. Lorelai took Grace to the inn for a little while, and they mingled with the staff and the guests until she fell asleep. While she napped in her stroller beside her desk, Lorelai did some paperwork in her office.

When Grace woke up, Lorelai brought her back to the house, and Luke met them there. They fed and entertained the baby until she was ready for another nap, and while she slept in the crib in Rory's bedroom, Luke and Lorelai ate lunch together in the kitchen.

When they were finished, Luke stayed home with a sleeping Grace while Lorelai headed to work. When Grace woke up a few hours later, Luke fed and changed her, and then brought her to Lorelai at the spa.

Lorelai was at the reception desk when they arrived, and smiled as she walked over to greet them. "Hey. How was she?"

"She woke up a little moody," Luke replied, glancing down at the baby. "But a little diaper change, a little formula, a little one-on-one time with the squeaky bunny rattle - she snapped out of it."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, good." She held out her hands and he passed the baby to her. "Is the stroller out front?"

"Yeah, and the diaper bag. I'll get them." Luke brought them inside and put them in Lorelai's office, and then he headed to the diner.

Lorelai brought Grace to the kitchen, and in a singsong voice, announced, "Sookie, look who's here to see you."

Sookie glanced over from the stove, and gasped when she saw the baby. "There she is, little Gracie-pooh." She wiped her hands on a towel, then walked over to them and started talking to the baby. "How's the cute little girl doing today? Are you gonna hang out at the spa with Aunt Lorelai?"

Lorelai smirked. "You're the only one going along with that."

"It'll catch on," Sookie told her. "Did Luke just drop her off?"

"Yup, after her afternoon siesta," Lorelai replied as she sat down on a stool at the center island. "What smells so good?"

"The blueberry oatmeal almond energy muffins have been a huge hit!" Sookie declared excitedly. "People love them as a post-workout snack, so I'm making up another batch." She checked the timer on the oven. "Few more minutes to go. What time's Rory getting back?"

"Probably around dinner time," Lorelai replied. "She texted a little awhile ago when she was at lunch with her new editor Audrey. Rory said that she's really nice, and that she loves the book and is fascinated by our lives."

Sookie smiled. "We all are. Have they been working on it all day?"

"Yeah, she said they had a really good working session this morning, and then Audrey took her out for lunch," Lorelai said. "They're gonna meet for a little while this afternoon, and then Rory's gonna let us know what train she catches so one of us can grab her from the train station."

"I can't believe that little girl wrote a book," Sookie said, and then she gasped. "Is her picture going to be on the cover? Will I walk into a bookstore and see a row of Rory faces staring at me?" She gasped again. "Ooh, is _your_ picture gonna be on it, too, since it's about both of you?"

Lorelai's eyes widened at the thought, and she shook her head slightly. "I have no idea. I don't think they discussed the cover yet."

"That would be so cool," Sookie said. "Oh, maybe it could be Rory's face on the front and yours on the back, and then when I go into a bookstore, I'll flip some of them over so it's Rory, Lorelai, Rory, Lorelai all the way down the entire row."

Lorelai smiled. "Make sure you take a picture if you do that."

"You got it." The oven timer went off, and Sookie rushed over to take her muffins out. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

Lorelai turned Grace around on her lap to face her. "How's my little girl doing?" she cooed. "Do you smell Sookie's muffins? Are you sad that you can't have one? Don't worry, as soon as you're allowed solid food, I'm gonna let you test out all kinds of yummy things." Lorelai glanced over toward Sookie. "Oh, hey, before I forget... Rory's birthday is on the 8th, so Luke and I are throwing a little party for her on Saturday the 7th... you and Jackson and the kids are invited."

"Ooh, fun! We'll be there. What can I bring?"

"Anything your heart desires, but if it's healthy, it needs to taste unhealthy," Lorelai replied.

Sookie giggled. "Got it."

Lorelai stood up. "All right, we're gonna go hang out in my office for a little while until one of us gets cranky." She lifted Grace's hand and waved to Sookie. "See you later, Aunt Sookie."

Sookie grinned and waved back. "Bye, pumpkin."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few hours later, Luke picked up Rory at the train station and they stopped for takeout on the way home. As Luke started to unpack the food in the kitchen, Rory peeked into her old bedroom and found Lorelai changing Grace on the bed.

"Hey, Mom," Rory said, smiling as she walked over to them.

Lorelai smiled. "Hi. How did everything go?"

"Fantastic. I'll tell you about it over dinner." Rory nodded toward the baby. "How was she?"

Lorelai finished snapping Grace's outfit into place and then picked her up from the bed. "An angel," she replied as she turned Grace in her arms to face Rory. "She's fed and changed and I suspect will be dozing off pretty soon."

Rory leaned down so she was eye level with Grace and kissed her on her forehead. "Hi, little girl... I missed you. Were you good for..." She paused a moment and then rolled her eyes as she finished with, "Aunt Lorelai?"

Lorelai gasped excitedly. "Really? We can say it?"

Rory smiled. "I'm just humoring you for today because I'm grateful you spent the entire day with her."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Boo."

"We need an acceptable grandmotherly term soon, or it's gonna end up being Grandma," Rory told her. "Grandma Lorelai and Great Grandma Emily."

Lorelai groaned. "Ugh. There's nothing cool out there that fits me. Nana? No, thanks. Granny? It just sounds so old. Grammy? That's an award for excellence in music."

"So, it's like the best of the best," Rory said. "The Grammy... the most excellent of grandmothers. That's you."

Lorelai smirked. "Nice sell."

"All right, fine... we'll keep brainstorming." Rory leaned in and kissed Grace again on the cheek, then gestured toward the kitchen. "Let me wash the public train bacteria off my hands and then I'll take her."

Lorelai followed Rory into the kitchen. Luke had spread the takeout containers on the table and had gotten out plates and silverware. Lorelai walked over to greet him, and he kissed her on the cheek before leaning down to kiss Grace on hers.

They began to eat dinner at the table with Rory cradling Grace in one arm while she ate, something she'd become very adept at over the past few months. Rory filled them in on her day, and described some of the updates she needed to work on.

"Most of them are pretty easy... places where I need to be a little more detailed, or expand on my thoughts a little more, stuff like that," Rory explained.

"When do they want them done by?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, I'm supposed to email Audrey sections as I complete them, with all of them hopefully being completed by October 27th," Rory replied.

"So, you have a month," Lorelai said. "That's not bad."

"Yeah, and I don't think it'll take me that long," Rory said. "There aren't that many things to update, and like I said, most of them seem pretty easy."

"Famous last words," Lorelai joked.

"Let us know if you need help with her," Luke said, gesturing toward Grace. "We can take her off your hands if you need us to."

Rory smiled. "Thanks. I'll let you know." She took a sip of her drink, and then said, "By the way, I invited Grandma to my birthday party. I wasn't expecting her to make the trip just for that, but just in case she happened to be visiting that weekend, I wanted to let her know."

"And?" Lorelai replied.

"And she won't be here that weekend, but she'll be in Hartford the last two weeks of October," Rory replied. "She wants us all to come over one night for a belated birthday dinner."

"Okay."

"She also wants me to bring Grace over for lunch on Halloween so she can see her first costume."

"Ooh, did you decide on one?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, but it's a surprise," Rory told her. "You'll see it on Halloween."

Lorelai grinned and rubbed her palms together excitedly. "I can't wait."

Grace had fallen asleep in Rory's arms, so she went to put her in the crib. She returned to the table and they ate quietly for a few moments until Lorelai said, "What about a play on Lorelai? Like... Lolo? Lala? Lola? Lai-lai?" She wrinkled her nose. "Those are all too cutesy, right? Ugh, this is hard."

Luke was looking at her with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I think she's throwing out alternative terms for grandmother," Rory deduced.

"Oh, got it," Luke said. "No luck making Aunt Lorelai stick?"

"She says I'm not Grace's aunt," Lorelai said with a frown.

"You're not," Rory confirmed.

"I could be! You know how many times you and I have gotten confused for sisters?"

"Getting confused for sisters and actually being sisters are two different things," Rory said, and then asked Luke, "Luke, do you care what grandfatherly name Grace calls you?"

"Not really," Luke replied.

"See how easygoing Luke is about this?" Rory said to Lorelai. "Look at Luke... be like Luke."

"Yeah, be like me," Luke echoed, smiling at Lorelai across the table.

"This is an important decision," Lorelai said. "This nickname will last the rest of my life."

"You could use that alternate identity we still get mail for once in awhile," Luke suggested. "What is it, Tookie?"

Rory smiled. "You still get mail for that? What about Squeegy?"

"Squeegy seems to have moved away, but we still usually get one or two catalogs for Tookie around the holidays," Lorelai replied.

"Okay, let's go with Tookie," Rory decided.

Lorelai gasped. "I did not agree on Tookie!"

"Seems like the obvious choice," Rory replied. "You already get mail addressed to her."

"It'll be confusing for the baby since there's already a Sookie," Lorelai pointed out. "Sookie, Tookie... it's too close. I think we should probably veto Tookie based on that fact alone."

Rory smirked. "Okay, fine, just go with one of the cutesy ones."

Lorelai exhaled a sigh. "This is too stressful, I can't make this decision. Gran, Gammy, Gamma... none of those regular terms are _me_."

"Well, how about this," Rory said. "We'll just let Grace decide when she's old enough to talk."

"So, we won't refer to me as anything until then?" Lorelai asked. "I'll just be the nameless beautiful woman she spends time with? I need some sort of name."

"What about something like... Gams?" Luke suggested. "That's a term for legs, right? Well, you've got great legs."

Lorelai intriguingly raised an eyebrow. "Keep talking."

Luke paused a moment. "That was pretty much the only suggestion I had."

"No, I mean, talk more about my legs," Lorelai encouraged him.

Luke smirked. "They're fantastic legs. Best pair I've ever seen. Always so smooth and... uh... well-moisturized."

Lorelai giggled. "Thanks for noticing."

"Gams," Rory said aloud to test it out. "Gams. It's like a hip version of Gammy."

Lorelai considered it for a moment and then shook her head. "Nope, vetoed... keep looking."

After dinner, as the baby slept in the crib, Lorelai and Rory were talking on the couch in the living room. Luke had recently started building a changing table to put in Rory's old bedroom, and he was out in the garage working on it.

"We're maybe gonna go apple picking this weekend," Lorelai said. "Do you guys wanna come? All of you... Logan, too, if he's visiting."

"That's yours and Luke's Autumn tradition, though," Rory replied. "That's something you guys always do together, just the two of you. You pick apples and come home and bake stuff... you make a whole day of it."

Lorelai shrugged. "So? We can bring you guys in on our tradition."

Rory shook her head. "No. I appreciate it, but I don't want you two to suddenly start turning all of your couple traditions into family events. I just read an article about this."

"About what?"

"About how new grandparents sometimes get a little over-excited about incorporating the new baby into all of these different activities," Rory explained. "But that they should try to make sure they still have their own couple activities, too."

"Don't worry, we -"

"Do not say something dirty right now about your other couple activities," Rory interrupted.

Lorelai smiled. "I wasn't going to. I was going to say that we don't mind including you guys in things. We like having you around."

"And we like it, too," Rory assured her. "And I want us to do family things together. I just don't want _all_ of the things you two used to do alone together to suddenly become group things, and then one day down the road, you realize that you're not spending any time alone with each other."

"Oh, trust me, we -"

"Okay, stop," Rory interrupted. "That one's definitely going to be dirty, I can tell."

Lorelai smirked. "Yeah, it was, sorry. But I understand the point you're trying to make... you want us to maintain a balance of couple activities and family activities."

"Yes, exactly. You guys are grandparents, but you're still your own couple," Rory said. "And you have certain things throughout the year that you always do together and I want you to keep those for yourself."

"Okay, well, how about Luke and I keep the apples for ourselves, but we do something else Autumn-y with you guys?" Lorelai suggested. "Like pumpkin picking."

Rory smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that works. Good balance."

"Okay, good." Lorelai patted Rory on the knee. "Thanks for looking out for us."

"Any time."

Lorelai reached for the notebook and pen sitting on the coffee table. "Now, let's go over the prep list for your birthday party."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The night of Rory's birthday party, Lorelai poured some drinks in the kitchen and then headed back to the crowded living room with three cups.

"Clear the way, Stars Hollow's newest wedding planner is coming through," Babette announced as Lorelai walked in.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and handed her a drink. "Stop, I'm not the wedding planner. I'm merely helping Kirk and Lulu try to get organized so they can start planning it themselves." She handed a drink to Gypsy and then to Sookie, then sat down on the couch next to Luke.

"You've met with them three times already to talk about the wedding," Luke pointed out.

"Well, Kirk helped out with ours," Lorelai reminded him. "The least I can do is return the favor. I'm just helping them get a move on things, make some to-do lists, try to settle on a date, formulate a timeline..." She paused a moment and wrinkled her nose. "Oh crap, I think I'm Kirk's wedding planner."

As the crowd laughed, Luke comfortingly put his arm around her. "It's okay, I'm sure he'll get distracted soon and forget he's even engaged."

"Maybe," Lorelai agreed, and then she said to everyone, "Kirk and Lulu are coming later, so nobody say anything about it in front of them." She glanced around the room. "Where's the baby?"

"Thatta way," Babette said, pointing toward the desk behind the couch.

Lorelai turned around and saw Frederick holding Grace. Michel was standing next to him, and they were in a conversation with Logan and Zach.

"I thought they were supposed to have a kid by now," Miss Patty said quietly. "That's what the rumor mill said."

"They're putting it on hold until they're both on board," Lorelai whispered. "Frederick is giving Michel time to come around to the idea." She glanced at the coffee table. "Where's my drink?"

"You finished it," Luke replied, and then offered her his cup. "Here, finish mine."

"Thank you," she replied, then took a sip from the cup. She looked at her watch, and then glanced back at the baby. "She's gonna be hungry soon."

Luke patted her leg and leaned in close to her ear. "Both of her parents are here," he quietly reminded her. "You don't have to be on baby duty tonight."

Lorelai nodded understandingly as she relaxed back against the couch. "Okay, right, got it. Back off, Lorelai. Thank you for keeping me in check."

"You're welcome," he said, giving her knee an affectionate squeeze. "You want some more food? I'm gonna go get a plate."

Lorelai nodded. "Yes, please."

He stood up and walked toward the kitchen as Rory and Lane were returning from it. They sat down in folding chairs across from the couch. "Has anyone seen my boys?" Lane asked.

"They're outside with Jackson and Morey and my kids," Sookie replied. "Jackson's doing some sort of fruit-related experiment."

"Do I wanna know how messy that's gonna be?" Lorelai asked.

Sookie shook her head. "No, you don't, but I told him he's in charge of the cleanup."

Michel walked over and collapsed onto the couch next to Lorelai. "Ugh, I can't pretend to like that baby anymore," he muttered, and then forced a smile across the coffee table at Rory. "Cute kid."

Lorelai nudged him. "Be nice. And you know, I hate to point out the obvious, but this topic is bound to cause some issues between you guys. If he wants a baby, that might not be something he's willing to compromise on."

"Yeah, but he's insisting that since _his_ views changed, that mine will eventually, too," Michel said, glancing back behind him to make sure Frederick was still distracted. "So, he's waiting it out."

"Yeah, but for how long before he gets fed up?"

Michel shrugged. "I have no idea, I guess we'll find out. I need a drink." He stood up from the couch and headed toward the kitchen.

"Hey, Rory... do you have Grace's Halloween costume already?" Gypsy asked. "She would look adorable as a baby mechanic."

"Or a ballerina," Miss Patty said.

"Or a cat," Babette said.

"I already have something for her, but it's a surprise," Rory told them. "I'm gonna bring her to Stars Hollow to trick or treat, though, so we'll try to stop by and see everyone."

Luke returned to the living room with two plates of food and handed one to Lorelai as he sat down next to her. Grace started whimpering behind them, and Lorelai quickly turned around to check on her. "See, she's probably hungry," she said softly to Luke.

He calmly placed his hand on her knee and whispered, "Just wait."

They watched as Logan took the fussing baby from Frederick and walked over to Rory. "I'm gonna change her and make a bottle," Logan said. "The diaper bag's in the bedroom?"

"Yup, it's on the bed," Rory replied. "Do you need some help?"

"Nah, I got it. Be right back." Logan carried Grace toward the bedroom.

Lorelai glanced over at Luke, who was giving her a pointed look. "See?" he whispered, rubbing her knee. "They got it."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Okay, Grammy is officially relaxing and backing off for the evening." She wrinkled her nose and added, "Do we still like that? I keep going back and forth."

They'd been trying out different nicknames every few days to see which one Lorelai liked best. "Think of the award," Luke reminded her. "You teased her for that comparison at first, but it grew on you. Grammy awards are cool... they're classy... they're special."

"Grammy... Grammy Lorelai... Grammy and Grampy," Lorelai muttered to herself. "I'm not sure. It makes us sound a hundred."

"Let's try it for a few more days and see if it grows on you."

They ate their food and joined in on the conversation going on around them, and after a few minutes, Miss Patty suddenly gasped. "Oh, gosh, I just realized... we're only a few weeks away from a very special occasion." She smiled at Lorelai and Luke. "Do you two have any exciting plans for your one-year anniversary? And by exciting, I mean -"

"Oh, we know exactly what you mean," Lorelai quickly interrupted her, and then she smiled at Luke. "And no, we haven't talked about it yet."

"Yeah, not yet," Luke replied. "But we'll figure something out."

"Geez, I can't believe it's almost been a full year," Rory said, and then she paused a moment before adding, "And yet, at the same time, I can't believe it's _only_ been a year."

"Yeah, I think we feel the same way," Lorelai replied, and Luke nodded in agreement.

"There's something kind of magical about that first official year though, huh?" Miss Patty asked with a sly smile.

Lorelai grinned at Luke as she replied, "Yeah... I have to say, it's been pretty amazing."

Luke smiled. "I concur."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Two weeks later, Luke and Lorelai were at home watching a movie, a bowl of popcorn and two glasses of wine on the coffee table in front of them.

There was a knock at the front door, and they glanced at each other before Lorelai paused the movie. "Were we expecting someone or is this an impromptu Saturday night visitor?" she asked.

"Impromptu."

"Hm." Lorelai stood up from the couch and walked over to the door. She pulled it open and smiled when she saw Rory standing on the porch. "Hey, kid," Lorelai greeted her, then called to Luke, "It's Rory."

"Hi, Rory," Luke called from the couch.

"Hey, guys." Rory stepped into the house and shut the door behind her.

"Where's Grace Adler?" Lorelai asked, and then narrowed her eyes. "You didn't leave her in the car, did you?"

"No, she's home with Logan," Rory replied. "He was rocking her when I left, so I'm guessing she's fast asleep by now. Am I interrupting anything?"

"Nope, come in," Lorelai said. They walked to the living room, and as Lorelai sat down on the couch, she asked, "Did I know you were coming over? Because if you told me, I totally forgot and that must mean Mommy's glass of wine is hitting her harder than usual."

Rory smiled and shook her head. "No, I didn't mention it... I just wanted to bring you something." She reached into her tote bag and pulled out a thin rectangular box. As she offered it to Lorelai, she said, "It's not chocolate, don't get your hopes up."

Lorelai smiled as she took the box from her. "Rats." She set the box on her lap and lifted the lid, and her eyes widened at the contents. She lifted her head and brought her gaze to Rory. "Is this..."

"It's officially done," Rory declared. "The book is done. I finished my updates and sent them in earlier this week, and this is the final draft."

Lorelai pulled the manuscript from the box and shook her head in disbelief. "Wow."

"Congratulations," Luke said, and he stood up to hug Rory. "That's amazing."

"Thanks, Luke," Rory said, and he sat back down next to Lorelai.

"Yeah, hon, this is incredible," Lorelai said, smiling up at her. "Really... I'm so proud of you."

Rory smiled. "Thanks, Mom." She gestured to the book. "I want you to read it. I know you didn't want to see it until it was done, but now that it is, it's really important to me that you read it and are okay with it." She looked at Luke and added, "You too, Luke... both of you. And I want your honest opinions."

"I admit, I might be a little biased," Luke said with a smile.

Rory smiled at him, and then glanced at Lorelai, who was staring down at the draft in her hands. "Mom, you okay?"

Lorelai took a few deep breaths, trying to chase away the sudden nervousness she felt, and then she lifted her head and smiled at Rory. "Yup. I'm just taking it all in, how amazing this is. But, uh... I'll try to read it tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Do you want some popcorn?" Lorelai asked, gesturing to the coffee table. "Or a glass of wine?"

"Did you eat dinner?" Luke asked. "I can whip something up for you."

"Oh, no, thanks," Rory said. "I'm actually heading over to see Lane, I just wanted to drop the book off."

"Oh, okay... I'll walk you out." Lorelai put the book on the coffee table and stood up from the couch.

"Night, Luke," Rory said.

"Bye, Rory," he replied. "Have a good night."

Lorelai walked Rory to the front door and hugged her. "Have I mentioned lately that I'm proud of you?"

Rory hugged her back. "Yes, like two minutes ago. That wine's really hitting you hard tonight, huh?"

Lorelai pulled back from her, smiling. "Good night. Have fun with Lane."

"I will, thanks," Rory replied. "Goodnight." Rory walked out, and Lorelai closed the door behind her.

Lorelai slowly walked back to the living room and stopped in front of the coffee table. "So... looks like I've got some plans for tomorrow."

"Looks like it," he agreed.

"I'm nervous," she admitted.

"I know. I could see it on your face the minute you opened that box."

Lorelai took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. She folded her arms across her chest and shifted her feet a little.

Luke eyed her curiously for a moment. "Why aren't you sitting back down?"

"I don't know."

Luke patted the couch cushion beside him. "Come here. You're making me nervous."

"Well, good, we can be nervous together," she said as she sat down next to him.

Luke put his arm around her. "Don't stress about it."

"Luke, there's a book about my life sitting on the coffee table in front of us. How could I not be stressing right now?"

"A book written by someone who loves you," Luke reminded her. "Someone who probably wouldn't have gone out of her way to give it to you as soon as she was done writing it if she thought you'd be upset with it."

Lorelai exhaled a sigh. "Okay, right, yes, that makes sense, but I'm still nervous."

"Let's finish watching the movie, we'll go to bed, you'll get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow you can tackle that," he said, gesturing to the book.

Lorelai nodded. "Okay."

"Actually, you know what," he said as he stood up. "Let's make it easier for you." He grabbed the book from the table, carried it over to the desk, and placed it in the drawer. "Out of sight, out of mind."

Lorelai let out a little laugh. "Have you _met_ me?" she asked him. "In sight once, in mind forever."

Luke sat back down beside her and patted her leg. "Put the movie back on, let Michael Myers distract you for a little while."

"Okay." Lorelai reached for the remote and turned the movie back on, giving a little glance toward the desk before focusing on the television.

. . . . .

. . . . .

When Luke's alarm went off the next morning, he turned it off quickly, and then looked over at Lorelai's side of the bed. It was empty. He glanced toward the bathroom, but the door was wide open and the light was off.

He walked downstairs to look for her and found her at the kitchen table with Rory's book open in front of her, so focused on it that she didn't even notice him walk in.

"Hey," he greeted her softly.

Lorelai lifted her head from the book, revealing her teary eyes. "Oh, hey... good morning."

He walked over and rubbed her shoulder. "When did you come down here?"

Lorelai glanced over at the clock. "About two hours ago."

Luke's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, so I figured I'd just dive right in. I'm almost done with it." Lorelai sniffled and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "It's like trying to read in the middle of a rainstorm, though... I can't stop crying."

"Emotional, huh?"

"Yeah, extremely," Lorelai confirmed. "For me, at least... I'm sure the average reader won't be sobbing through every page like I am. But I'm reading my daughter's personal perspective on things that have happened in our lives... learning what she thought and how she felt about things I've done or said or taught her, and... I don't know. It's overwhelming... it's a lot to take in."

Luke affectionately squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sure." He paused for a moment, then asked, "Is it... are there things that... well, that you wish weren't in there?"

"No, there haven't been any embarrassing personal revelations that are going to prevent me from showing my face in public," Lorelai replied. "At least... not yet."

"That's a plus. And what about your mother? Anything she'll be upset about?"

"She shouldn't be. I mean, it's not anything she doesn't already know," Lorelai replied. "She knows that she and I don't always agree on things or look at situations the same way."

"Yes, she definitely does know that," he agreed.

"Rory talks about how my mom and I are two very different people, but that she always saw a foundation of love there between us... that even though it was a different relationship than what Rory and I have, that she's never had doubts that my mother and I care for each other."

Luke smiled. "That's nice."

"Yeah, it was nice," Lorelai said, and then she sighed a little. "She said similar things about my dad and I, and then talked a little about how close she was to him and what it was like to lose him." Lorelai shook her head a little. "Which was not easy to read, so I can imagine she must've been a mess writing it."

"Yeah, I bet that was tough." Luke leaned down and kissed her on the head. "So... what's the overall consensus?"

Lorelai smiled. "Well, I have a little more to go, but so far... the overall consensus is that my daughter loves and appreciates me."

Luke smiled. "Well, that we already knew."

"Like, a lot, though," Lorelai continued. "I mean, I get rave reviews as a mother in here." She grinned as she added, "You know, you're mentioned in here, too."

A small smile formed on Luke's lips. "Oh, yeah?"

Lorelai nodded. "Mmhmm. And I don't want to spoil it, but our little girl is pretty fond of you."

Luke's smile widened. "That's nice to hear."

"I'm almost done and then you can take your turn with it when you get home tonight, if you want."

Luke nodded. "Okay."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A little while later, shortly after Luke had left for work, Lorelai finished reading. She slowly closed the book and stared down at the title page for a few moments. She wiped her tears and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the emotions rushing through her.

She wanted to call Rory, but after checking the clock and realizing it was still early, she went upstairs and took a long shower. She took her time getting dressed and doing her hair, threw in a load of laundry, and then finally texted Rory and asked her to call her when she had a chance.

Lorelai distracted herself by cleaning the kitchen, and a few minutes went by before the phone rang. She quickly grabbed it from the table, confirmed it was Rory calling, and then answered, "Rory?"

"Yeah... is everything okay?"

"I loved it," Lorelai declared. "I read the whole thing, and I loved it."

"You read the whole thing?" Rory asked incredulously. "Already?"

"Yeah, and I cried like a million times. Honey, it's so beautiful," Lorelai gushed. "You're honest and open and you get personal, but not _too_ personal. And I liked reading your take on the happy memories, but I also loved that you talked about some of the fights we've had, too, and how we worked through them. It was a good balance, showing that even great relationships have stumbling blocks."

"Yeah, I thought that was important. I didn't want to paint this false picture of us never having any arguments."

"You were delicate when it came to the grandparents, which I appreciate." Lorelai paused a moment and swallowed hard. "It must've been hard for you to write about Grandpa."

"Really hard," Rory confirmed. "I had to keep taking breaks when I was writing because I was getting too emotional."

"He would be so incredibly proud of you for this book, honey," Lorelai told her. "He was always so proud of you."

Rory took a deep breath, fighting back tears. "I know he was."

They were both quiet for a moment before Lorelai said, "Well, I just wanted to let you know that I finished. I think Luke's gonna start it tonight."

"Okay. I'm glad you like it... I was nervous about that."

"Love it," Lorelai corrected her. "I _love_ it. It's amazing. You were right... you were meant to write this story. You were supposed to share it with the world."

Rory smiled into the phone. "Thanks, Mom," she said sincerely.

"I'll let you go, but first... how's Grace today?"

"She's good. She slept in a little later, which was nice."

"She's developing more of those Lorelai Gilmore traits every day," Lorelai said.

"Yes, she is."

"Okay, kiss her for me. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Mom."

 **. . . . .**

 **. . . . .**

The following week, on Halloween night, Luke was in the kitchen cooking an early dinner while Lorelai was upstairs putting her costume on. The past few years, she hadn't dressed up too elaborately herself. She'd usually dress up Paul Anka, and then throw on something simple that coordinated with his costume. But this year, for Grace's first Halloween, she decided to go all out. She hadn't told anyone what her costume was, so Luke was curious as to what she'd come downstairs in.

"Okay, you ready?" she called from the bottom of the staircase.

"Yup," he called from the kitchen. He was tending to the fried chicken at the stove, and he glanced expectantly at the kitchen entrance.

Lorelai walked into the room and struck a confident, iconic pose - feet spread, shoulders back, hands on her hips. "Well... what do you think?" she asked.

His eyes widened, and then began to take in the details of her Wonder Woman costume piece by piece. The tiara sitting against her forehead, the form-fitting top that hugged her curves, the cuff around her upper arm, the gauntlets on her wrists, the gold belt sitting at the top of the short blue skirt, the tight knee-high boots.

His eyes moved even slower going back up her body than they did going down, and when he finally met her gaze, he said, "Whoa."

Lorelai grinned. "You like?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied. "Like is an understatement."

"Do I look hot?"

"Very," he said. He turned off the stove and walked over to her, and his hands went to her waist. His thumbs smoothed over the fabric of her top as he pulled her body against his. "Wow."

She rested her hands on his shoulders as her lips met his in a passionate kiss, one that he ended with a groan. "Wait, I have to look at you in this all night and try to control myself?" he asked. "Do you have any idea how hard it's gonna be?"

Lorelai's lips curved into a smile as she teased, "I bet it won't be hard at first, but it'll probably be very hard by the end of the night."

Luke smiled as he glanced back down at the costume again. "You're wearing this to bed, right?"

Lorelai flipped her hair over her shoulder and nonchalantly shrugged. "I don't know, it wouldn't be very comfortable to sleep in."

Luke smirked. "Trust me, you will not be sleeping."

Lorelai giggled as she leaned in to kiss him again. Luke eagerly returned the kiss and he backed her up against the door to Rory's bedroom. His hands began caressing up and down her body, and a few moments later, the doorbell rang and forced them to break apart.

"Ooh, that's probably Rory," Lorelai said excitedly. "Let's go see the baby's costume." She gave him a quick kiss, adding, "Save those thoughts for later."

"Oh, I will," he assured her.

Lorelai grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the foyer. She pulled open the front door and immediately heard Rory's voice say, "Trick or treat!"

Lorelai gasped excitedly when she saw that Grace was wearing the miniature version of Lorelai's Wonder Woman costume. "Oh, my God!"

Rory laughed when she saw Lorelai's matching outfit. "You're twins!"

"We are!" Lorelai exclaimed as she reached for the baby. She kissed her on the cheek and then cooed to her, "We're Wonder Woman twins, little girl."

Rory stepped into the house. "You look great," she said, and then smiled at Luke. "Hey, Luke."

"Hey, Rory," he replied, and then he ran his finger gently against Grace's hand. "Hi, Gracie... I like your costume."

"Like grandmother, like granddaughter," Lorelai said.

"We need to get a picture of this," Rory said.

"Definitely," Lorelai agreed. "What's _your_ costume?"

"Uh, exhausted mother who spent the last few weeks writing during every waking moment when her child was sleeping," Rory replied.

"Ah. You pull it off well," Lorelai declared, and she walked to the living room to sit down with the baby.

Rory and Luke followed her, and Luke sat down beside Lorelai on the couch as Rory sat in the armchair across from them.

Rory rubbed her hands together. "So, speaking of writing... I have some news."

"About the book?" Lorelai asked.

"Yup. They finally decided on a release date." Rory took a deep breath. "They want to put the book out next year... the week before Mother's Day."

Lorelai grinned. "Oh, that's perfect!"

Rory smiled and nodded in agreement. "I thought so, too. We have to finish finalizing the cover in the next few weeks, and then it'll be all ready to print. They're also trying to think up some online promotional giveaways to tie in with Mother's Day... like maybe they'll ask people to submit stories about their moms and then they'll pick a few winners and send them copies of the book... stuff like that."

"They'll give away copies of the book for free?" Luke asked, narrowing his eyes with confusion. "But... then you don't make money on them."

"Well, it gets some copies of the book out there and hopefully the readers will like it and recommend it and it could eventually lead to sales," Rory explained. "They want to try to get some word of mouth going on social media, stuff like that."

"Ah, got it," Luke said, nodding understandingly.

"They also mentioned that they'll arrange for me to do a bunch of interviews leading up to the book release," Rory said. "They said probably a mixture of newspapers, magazines, online websites, on camera interviews, a bunch of different things."

Lorelai smiled. "Really, on camera interviews? So, we might see you chatting with Ellen about your book?"

Rory smiled. "I think they might go smaller, maybe a local news station or something like that, I'm not sure. But they said... if you're up for it, it's totally up to you... that it might be good to include you in some of the interviews with me."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Me in the interviews? But it's _your_ book, you're the author."

"Well, since the book is mostly about _us_ , they think that maybe having both of us out there promoting it and letting people see our dynamic might influence them to go get the book to learn more about us," Rory explained. "But it's totally okay if you don't want to... I told them that you might not like the idea."

"No, it's a good idea, I get it, it makes sense," Lorelai said, and then sighed softly. "I just... I don't know if I want to be all over the internet."

"She doesn't have to decide right now, right?" Luke asked. "She has time to think about it?"

"Yeah, they won't start setting up interviews for a few months," Rory replied. "And if you do one and you don't like it or you're not comfortable, then that's it... you don't have to do anymore. Or if you don't want to do the on-camera ones, maybe just try some print ones. Like I said, it's totally up to you, no pressure at all. You can do none, you can do one, you can do a bunch."

Lorelai mulled it over for a few moments before she finally said, "Okay, yeah... I guess maybe I could try out an interview or two and see how I like it."

Rory's eyes lit up. "Really, you will? Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Lorelai said.

Luke stood up from the couch. "Well, dinner's just about ready. Is Logan coming?"

"He's on his way, but probably won't be here for another hour," Rory replied. "He said to just start trick or treating without him, and he'll text me when he gets to town to see where we are."

Luke nodded. "Okay. Let's eat."

. . . . .

. . . . .

After dinner, they put Grace in her stroller and started to walk the neighborhood. It was chilly out, and Lorelai was wearing a long coat draped over her shoulders to give her some warmth without blocking too much of the outfit.

However, after only a few minutes, Luke noticed she was shivering. "Why don't you just _wear_ it?" he asked.

"Because it's Halloween. I don't wanna look like one of those boring adults walking around all plain and not dressed up," she replied.

"Like me," he supplied.

"And me," Rory added.

"Yes. I'm wearing a costume, I want people to see it," Lorelai said.

"Well, just put the coat on and warm up for a few minutes, then you can take it off and freeze again," Luke said.

"Or we could start heading toward the square so we can stop and get coffee," Lorelai suggested. "That'll warm me up."

"Oh, that's a good idea," Rory said. "I could use some, too."

They headed toward the town square and did some trick or treating in that area, stopping at Luke's for coffee along the way. The area was a flurry of activity, and a lot of townspeople stopped them to say hello and to see the baby's costume.

They stopped by Lane's just as she and the boys were getting ready to start trick or treating themselves, so they tagged along with them.

When Lorelai heard someone call her name from behind them, she grimaced slightly and glanced over at Luke. "That's not Kirk, is it? Because I forgot to respond to his text earlier and he's probably mad at me."

Luke looked behind them and saw Kirk walking toward them with Petal. "It's Kirk, but he doesn't look mad."

Lorelai turned around. "Hey, Kirk," she called.

"Lorelai, hi," Kirk said as he reached them. "Did you get my - "

"I'm so glad we ran into you," she interrupted him. "Because my phone died earlier as I was responding to your text, so I didn't get a chance to tell you that, yes, it's fine if you wanted to wear two undershirts under your wedding tuxedo for an extra layer of sweat protection."

"Oh, my God," Luke muttered under his breath.

"I don't think anyone would notice," Lorelai added reassuringly to Kirk.

Kirk let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good, because the downside of a summer wedding, as you know, is the heat."

"Yes, I do know," Lorelai said with a nod. "But don't you worry, we'll make sure you don't have any visible sweat issues."

"Okay, good. And we're still on for our meeting next week?" Kirk asked.

"Yes, I have it on my calendar, next Wednesday at ten at the inn," Lorelai replied.

"Great. Happy Halloween," Kirk said, nodding to Lorelai and Luke before he started walking Petal down the street.

When he was gone, Lorelai turned to Luke and she playfully nudged his arm. "Stop it."

Luke was smirking as he shook his head. "I said nothing."

"You are saying plenty with that look on your face," she countered.

His smile widened and he reached for her hand. "Come on, Wonder Woman. We're falling behind."

They walked faster to catch up with Rory, Lane, and the kids. Soon, Logan met up with them and they walked around for twenty more minutes before it was time to head back to the house to feed Grace. They said goodbye to Lane and her boys, and started walking home.

When they reached the porch, Logan lifted Grace out of her stroller, and he and Rory walked into the house with her. As Lorelai was about to follow them in, Luke reached for her hand to hold her back on the porch.

She turned around to face him, and he pulled the door closed behind her before leaning in to kiss her. Her surprised reaction quickly melted away and she kissed him back, bringing one hand up to rest against his cheek.

"Mmm," she moaned softly as he deepened the kiss, and was smiling when they finally separated. "What was that?"

Luke glanced down at her costume. "That was the most I can do right now to show you what I think of this outfit."

Lorelai smiled. "Should I pack it for this weekend?"

For their upcoming anniversary weekend, they'd made dinner reservations at a favorite restaurant of theirs half an hour away, and booked a room for the night at the inn next door to it.

"Hmm..." Luke put his hands on her waist and thought for a moment. "What about that red outfit... the silky one with the lace on the top? You haven't worn that one in awhile."

Lorelai grinned. She loved that he paid attention to and remembered specific outfits of hers, even the ones that were hastily removed within minutes of her putting them on. "Ah, yes, I'm familiar with that one. I think I can accommodate your request."

He smiled and kissed her. "Good, thank you."

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Saturday night, Luke and Lorelai were at their anniversary dinner, and had just been served their salads.

"So, now's the time to air all of your grievances," Lorelai said. "All of the things you hated about this first year of being married, just get it all out."

"Let's see, where should I start?" he jokingly pondered aloud, and then he laughed at the look she gave him. He ate a forkful of salad before adding, "I'm kidding. What's there to hate?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know, but if there's anything we want to improve upon in year two, we should discuss it now."

"I can't think of anything," Luke replied. "I think we did pretty damn well at marriage." He looked at her for a second. "Is there something _you_ want to change?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Nope. I just wanted to make sure that _you_ knew that if you had something to get off your chest, I'm all ears."

"I do know that," he assured her. "And you know that about me."

Lorelai nodded. "I do. This was the year of Luke and Lorelai learning that they can - and should - say anything to each other."

"Yeah. And I think we both always knew that, but we still held things back... I don't know why."

"Well, we kicked that bad habit," Lorelai said, smiling as she picked up her wine glass. "To us."

Luke picked up his glass and clinked it against hers. "To us."

As Lorelai set her glass down, she cleared her throat and said, "There _is_ something I wanna talk to you about, though... something we haven't talked about in awhile."

"Okay." Luke's mind started racing to try to figure out what it could be, even though he'd find out in five seconds.

"I think I'm ready to talk about maybe... getting another dog."

Luke's eyes widened at first with surprise, and then his face softened as he asked, "Really? You sure?"

"I've been thinking about Paul Anka a lot," Lorelai said. "Especially on Halloween, which was the first one in twelve years that I wasn't able to pick out some adorable costume for him. And I know he only went along with dressing up the first few years to make me happy, but then he totally came around to the idea and seemed to actually enjoy it."

Luke smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he really did."

Lorelai paused for a moment and swallowed hard. "I don't always wanna talk about how much I miss him because that just makes me sadder, but... I really miss him a lot."

Luke frowned sympathetically and nodded. "I know you do. I do, too."

"But there are a lot of animals out there that need a loving home, you know?" Lorelai continued. "And I think it might be time to put our pet-owning skills to good use again."

"I think so, too," Luke agreed. "If you're ready, then we'll do it. We can visit some shelters or go to those pet adoption fairs or something."

"Really? You're definitely on board?" she asked. "Because I don't want you to do it just for me if you're not into the idea yourself."

"I'm on board." Luke reached across the table for her hand. "It was nice having him in the house, you know? I knew that if I wasn't home, you weren't there all alone. And when you weren't home, _I_ wasn't all alone. It was comforting."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it was."

"So, I think it's time," Luke said. "And I know you've also thrown out the cat idea over the years. If you wanted to go that route, or even _both_ routes, we can do that... whatever you want."

Lorelai cocked her head to the side, smiling. "Look at you, all ready to turn our house into a pet hotel."

Luke smiled. "Don't get carried away. I'm just saying, I'm not opposed to having two pets... but two's the limit."

"Got it," Lorelai said. "Well, I say we start with the dog for now, and then if we happen to get the urge to add another pet to the family, we'll discuss it."

"Deal."

Lorelai suddenly let out an excited gasp. "Ooh, what do you think about David Bowie if it's a boy?"

Luke smirked. "Whatever you want."

"We'll see if it fits," Lorelai said. "It might not be a Bowie-looking dog."

"It might not be," Luke agreed. "It might be a Steely Dan or Jimmy Buffet-looking dog."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose and squeezed his hand. "Uh, yeah... we'll play it by ear."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Later that night, they returned to their room at the inn next door to the restaurant. As Lorelai changed into the red lingerie he had personally requested, Luke undressed down to his boxers, and their anniversary celebration continued for a while in bed.

When they were ready to go to sleep, they got dressed and both went about their normal bedtime routines. As they got into bed, Lorelai glanced at the clock on the nightstand beside him, and then smiled. "Hey, it's past midnight... happy anniversary."

Luke looked behind him to see the clock for himself, then turned back to her with a smile. "Happy anniversary."

They shared a kiss, turned out the light, and got situated in the bed beneath the comforter. He put his arm around her as she cuddled up against him. "So, year one is officially in the books," she said.

Luke smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Yes, it is."

"What do you think, forty-ish more to go?" she asked. "Maybe fifty?"

"Hm, let's shoot for forty and then we'll take it from there," he suggested.

"Okay." Lorelai lifted her head and kissed him. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **The End**

.

 **Author's Note:** Thank you so much for following along with my version of Luke and Lorelai's first year of marriage! Reviews are appreciated, please let me know your thoughts on this story! :)

For anyone interested in upcoming projects, I've recently gotten the urge to revisit and continue my oldest story. So, later this year, once I'm ready to tackle another multi-chapter fic, I'm hoping to introduce a third installment to the "It's Right There" series, picking up after "It's Still There." :)


End file.
